Emma's Travel Update

2006-12-05T18:44:00.000-08:00

Day 177 (Tues 5 to Wed 6 Dec 06): Koh Samui, Thailand

Well today is the last official day of my extended holiday and i am just 3 hours away from boarding my plane to Bangkok from where I will fly to Brisbane with Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong.

It is hard to believe that it was 6 months ago that I quit my job, packed up my flat and flew out of Sydney with Brendan, bound for Europe and then of course the Americas...

It now all seems a bit unreal.

As for my time here in Samui... well the personal meditation retreat has continued... making this part of the trip my opportunity to wind down and relax before I face what I am calling "the real world".

I have really enjoyed being in one place for the 4 nights and of course have lapped up the luke warm (as opposed to cold) showers each day. I have also managed to finish another book, Amy Tan's "The Kitchen God's Wife"... and now I have begun reading "Sex Slaves", a book about the trafficking of women in Asia, as well as Zadie Smith's "On Beauty", shorlisted for the 2005 Man Booker Prize. Heee.... I definitely need to start working again! My brain is craving stimulation!

Yesterday I continued the Thai pampering with a manicure and pedicure (which cost me 300 baht plus tip... about $11 AUD)... And also enjoyed more Thai food - a green papaya salad and another pad thai for lunch! Oh and I also caught a bit more sunshine which unfortunately has disappeared today, replaced by rainclouds and thunder. A great day to leave!

And as for last night... well I managed to catch a "ladyboy" Cabaret Show at the beachfront resort restaurant that backs on to where I'm staying. I scored a table right at the front and got an eyeful of their long toned legs and tight butts... with no celulite... as I enjoyed a delicious green curry with prawns served in a coconut. Still none the wiser on where "it" goes... assuming they still have one?!?! Perhaps it is never very bit to start with? Not sure! Quite the illusion... well at least until you hear them talk.

Well time for me to go. I have just 1.5 hours before I leave here so better get out amongst it and find me my last Thai meal.

Look forward to catching up with everyone back in Aus very soon.

Thanks for listening.

Bye for now,
emmxxx

2006-12-01T12:05:00.000-08:00

Day 168 - 176 (Sun 26 to Mon 4 Dec 06): Chichicastenango, Guatamala to Sam's Pad, LA to Koh Samui, Thailand

I was up early on Sunday to wander around the market town of Chichi and watch the local people set up for market day... an attraction recommended by all the guide books and tour operators.

And I must say, it was certainly worth the effort.

After exploring the town on the Saturday afternoon it was hard to imagine how Sunday's market could be any more impressive that a normal day. As it was, every inch of the central plaza was filled with vendors... so much so it was impossible to establish whether or not there was a view (as one normally experiences from the centre of town).

But alas, just like the chicken buses... they managed to squeeze in more.

By late Saturday afternoon the temporary stalls were being errected along both sides of every single side street leading onto the plaza leaving narrow pathways for shoppers and locals alike. The entire town had transformed into one large market area.

Caera and I took the opportunity to take it all in from the balcony of a local cafe and it was from here that we watched as the villagers lugged in their wares... mainly on their backs using a very basic rope mechanism that pressed against their forehead. We were particularly entertained by the 2 men unloading a cart of tomato crates... taking it in turns to haul 3 large crates each to a near by stall. The whole cart was unloaded within minutes and before we knew it, another had arrived and was being attacked. These folk are certainly not strangers to hard work... In Australia nothing would have been achieved due to the OH&S legislation and imminent threat of a workers compensation claim.

And it wasn't just the men working hard. There were women doing their share of the phyical labour although I must admit, most women seemed to have a young baby strapped across their back which obviously impacted the load they could carry. While people in counties like Australia are struggling to reproduce, they're breeding like rabbits in Guatamala. In rural areas at least it is apparently not uncommon to have up to 7 children starting at 17 or 18 years.

By about 11am I was exhausted from overstimulation and retired to the same cafe we had visited earlier for a bite to eat before heading off in search of a mini-van back to Antigua. The others were heading on to the lake so it was here that we said our farewells. I was joined in the van by a couple of girls from Holland among others and with conversation, the 3 hour journey passed quickly.

Back in Antigua I did my best to as little as possible in preparation for my flight to LA (complete with 4 hour stop over in Dallas, Texas of course). I did however manage to check out some more markets and do some last minute gift shopping... the local artesian markets... I also found myself a couple of great places to eat (including an awesome Thai restaurant called Cafe Richo ? where I had delicious vegetarian rice paper rolls and a yellow tofu curry... and Rainbow Cafe where they served tortillas with tofu).

Everything had gone smoothly... well at least until I returned to the hostel around 7.30pm and attempted to organise transport to Guatamala City airport for 6am the following morning so I can make my 9.20am flight to Dallas/LA. The hostel's preferred company was fully booked and unfortunately for me, every other tour operator had closed shop at 5pm. So after about 20 minutes of frantically running around town asking anyone I could find whether they knew how I could get to the airport by 7am, the lovely lady in the hotel across the street from the hostel kindly managed to get in contact with her friend and book me onto a 4am shuttle bus.

So with my blood pressure dropping, I relaxed again over a red wine, then packed my bags and attempted to get some sleep. And at 3.30am, I was up and on my way!

This also meant that I arrived at the airport 5 hours before my flight departed and had to wait around for 2 hours before I could even check in. It initially didn't seem so bad... well at least until I discovered that there were only 4 seats in the whole check-in area and those 4 seats were primarily used by the shoe polishing boys. So as I sat waiting for my flight, I breathed in the fumes of shoe polished and watched as business men with already shiney shoes, had their shoes polished... again... in the seats next to me! I could only conclude that activity was some kind of power play. Whatever! At least the boys were making a living!

The actual flights to LA with American Airlines were uneventful... and actually quite pleasant... but I can't say the same for the whole experience.

I was incredibly frustrated by the airport security procedures and had a small dummy spit with the incredibly lovely Guatamalan security guard. My main concern was with the fact that there is absolutely no standardisation around the world's airports so each time is a totally new experience and yet you are expected to know exactly what to do. In this case I purchased yoghurt and water after passing through the first security check point (with the intention of consuming them at the gate while I waited another hour or so for my flight) but of course I was travelling to the US so had to pass through a second, more intensive "purge all liquids" security check point at the gate. I couldn't help but express my annoyance after I attempted to find somewhere to sit and eat (already "caught" in the process)... and couldn't even manage that. I had been working off my Miami experience where you were considered "safe" after the initial process and hence were able to buy liquids in the "sterile zone" before the gate. I have never skulled yoghurt and water so quickly!

And just when I thought the dramas were over... I was haulled up by US Immigration in Dallas because I didn't know Sam's address... and "you must have an address in the US madam or we cannot allow you to enter". Again, news to me! Thankfully I had Sam's mobile number in my mobile (which finally has coverage again!!!) and so after waiting for 10 minutes or so in a little room with other disobediants, the official managed to make contact with Sam and confirm that he was expecting me etc. Not surprisingly, I had a headache by this stage... with no sleep nor food since the yoghurt at 8am.

Dallas Airport did nothing for me... with the people no where near as hospitable and friendly as they were in Miami.

For the second leg of my flight, Dallas to Miama, I struck up a conversation with the guy sitting next to me and as a result, the 3 hours passed quickly.

In LA Sam arrived to pick me up and we spent the night catching up. We headed out to a funky Japanese Sushi Bar in Venice Beach where we pigged out on sashimi, endamame and Asahi! What more could a girl ask for? The following day (while Sam was working) I headed for the shops on Main Street with Bree, one of Marni's friends who was also visiting. Vintage was certainly all the rage in LA! We stopped for lunch and a spot of people watching at an organic cafe, Urth Cafe... before driving along the coast to a bar on the water for a wine. Then it was home for BBQ preparations.

That night we entertained Sam and Marnie's neighbours, Amelia and Mark, and enjoyed some more local wine.

It was the following day that Sam dropped me at the airport after an early morning walk for views of the city. My flight from LA to Hong Kong and on to Bangkok departed at 11.40 am.

And alas, another frustrating check-in! This time I had to clear my backpack through security before checking in at the Cathay Pacific counter. So my bag went through the x-ray machine and was then placed on a trolley so I could identify it and a porter could walk it along side of me to the "holding area" (making sure i didn't touch the bag). I then had to wait in the check-in queue... for an hour... and then once I got to the counter... I had to walk down to the "holding area" and point to my bag so another porter could push it up to the counter for processing. Such a rediculous, disjointed process! And it's been 6 years since Sept 11! Oh and of course there were so many people who couldn't recognise their own luggage or comprehend what was going on. Who could blame them?

Thankfully I had 3 seats to myself on the flight from LA to Bangkok and the service was outstanding. Hands up to the Cathay flight attendants. They are top class. Of course my vegetarian meal hadn't been processed (possibly because I changed the dates of my flights)... but they were able to find a vegetarian option for me. They were also incredibly attentive to any request and so incredibly polite. I watched a couple of movies... with The Devil Wears Prada as the most memorable one... and dozed on and off. I had 2 hours or so in Hong Kong which wasn't so bad either.

The biggest challenge came with the 5 hours I had to spend in Bangkok airport. Despite being brand new, there wasn't much to do between 12 midnight at 5.30am. I basically spent the time hanging out on a 3 seater bench... with a little internet to break the monotony. I also checked my backpack into Left Luggage so crossing my fingers it will still be there.

I arrived in Koh Samui at around 7am after the 1 hour Bangkok Airways flight here. Initially I was really disappointed... but I think that was most to do with the fact that my first room backed onto a building site where they were sawing bricks! I was desperately tired from being in transit for so long and thankfully managed to get moved to a much less noisy one.

I am now into day 3 and after a 1 hour massage and leg wax, I must say I am enjoying myself. It's like being on a meditation retreat for me as I'm keeping to myself really. My time is split between eating, sunbaking and wandering the streets. I have also been jogging each morning... dodging the rubbish on the shoreline (which this morning included a syringe). Chewang is certainly not the most beautiful beach I have come across. Much like Kuta in Bali really except there are far fewer vendors trying to accost you.

Time to get back to the beach.

2 nights to go here and a heafty 12 or so hours of flying from Bangkok to Brisbane via Hong Kong on Wednesday.

Til next time,
Emm xxx

2006-11-25T14:07:00.000-08:00

Day 165-167 (Thurs 23 to Sat 25 Nov 06): Caye Caulker, Belize to Antigua, Guatamala

With much sadness Reats and I departed our island paradise of Caye Caulker on the 1.30pm ferry on Thursday... but not before one last evening meal of lobster, potato mash and coleslaw at our favourite restaurant, Bamboo Grill, and one last delicious breakfast of fruit, yoghurt and granola at the little Italian cafe, Don´s. We also squeezed in a session of sunbaking and swimming at the pier and consumed our final burrito (leftovers from the previous day).

The ferry ride turned out to be yet another entertaining experience with a large group of North American cruise ship passengers reminding me of why I´m not attracted to that style of travel.

We arrived at the Belize City Marina around 2.20pm and headed straight to the airport... well kind of. After kicking a family out of his van to take us instead, our taxi driver basically told us he had to make a detour to pick-up and deliver something for his mate. Of course... why would we expect to go direct to our destination? Turns out we headed off in the opposite direction to where we needed to go and shared the cab with 3ms of steel rod while he made the delivery back to the Marina. Thankfully we had left plenty of time.

We then spent a couple of hours hanging out in the airport waiting for our 5.20pm flight to Guatamala City (via San Salvador)... finally arriving into Guatamala City at around 7.30pm.

From there it was all a bit of a whirl wind really. I made some enquiries about the shuttle bus to Antigua (the "touristy" town about 45 minutes to 1 hour from the more "dangerous" Guatamala City) after seeing a lady holding a sign and with that she immediately started whisking us off to a van in the carpark with me explaining that my friend wasn´t joining me and instead needed a taxi to a hotel in Guatamala City (as Reats was heading to a hotel not far from the airport because she was flying out at 9am the following morning). So after spending almost 5 weeks together (minus the 3 or so days when we went our separate ways), Reats and I said our farewells in 2 seconds flat and parted ways.

A few minutes later I found myself standing alone at the back of the airport carpark in the dark cold night waiting for the woman to locate the missing van driver. Thankfully he appeared after about 10 minutes and directed me to a van where I sat shivering for a further 30 minutes waiting for other passengers to arrive. The van filled with a young couple who had just arrived from London and a well travelled Aussie couple from Coogee... all heading to Antigua! Also turns out that the girl from Aus, Nicole, knows Gabrielle (my boss from Qantas) as they were studying an MBA subject together. Small world!

In Antigua I checked into a single room (aka "The Jail Cell") at The Black Cat hostel and enjoyed a typical meal of burritos filled with fijoles (beans), salsa, lettuce and guacamole with a glass of red wine before heading straight to bed! If only my room didn´t have that mouldy smell about it...!

The following morning, after enduring a restless night (because of the noticably cooler air temperature in Antigua and the hostel noise... including the chimes of the front doorbell as punters return home from the pub all through the night) and COLD shower (oh how I look forward to showering at home!), I ordered my "free" breakfast burrito and sat down at a communcal table with 2 girls and a guy to drink my coffee.

And so marks the end of my "alone time" in Antigua.

At the table I met Elizabeth (22yo from the US), John Paolo (her 28yo Brazilian husband who is half Italian) and Caera (pronounced "Kira"... Elizabeth´s sister) who I now find myself travelling with.

So here I am at 5.30pm on Saturday arvo in Chicha... a small market town about a 2-3 hour "chicken bus" ride out of Antigua (with supposedly the best and biggest markets in the whole of Guatamala)... despite my plans just to chill in Antigua town for my last 5 nights in Central America (not to mention my pact never to take another bus ride!!!).

Liz and John Paolo have been volunteering at a medical clinic about 6 hours bus ride from Antigua for the past 3 months (she as a nurse and he in administration) and they had travelled to Antigua to meet up with Caera who had just arrived from Pennsylvania for a 1 week visit. Over breakfast yesterday they invited me to hang out with them for the day (with Caera virtually begging me so she wouldn´t be the 3rd wheel) and then later invited me to join them on this side trip to the market town.

We left Anitgua this morning at around 9am and took a "chicken bus" (with 3 to a seat) for about 20 minutes or so to another town where we changed to a slightly more pleasant coach style bus and travelled to the Mayan ruins (Iximche Tecpan Guatamala) about an hour away. The ruins aren´t so well known amongst the tourists which meant the site was mostly visited by locals and being Saturday, children. We became the tourist attraction for the kids which was a pleasant change.

From there we caught another "chicken bus"... but this time we weren´t so lucky with seats and had to stand for the first 20 minutes of the 1 hour journey... me crammed between the first seat and the driver facing the back of the bus and hanging on for my life as we wound around the highlands. Thankfully the bus emptied out a little as the journey progressed and I ended up sitting on the edge of a seat next to a mother and her 2 mth old baby and another guy. We arrived in Chicha around 1.30pm.

We found a lovely little place to stay for just $60 Q ($10 AUD) each and after a traditional lunch of rice and beans with blue corn tortillas at a local cafe, explored just a few of the market stalls that are covering every inch of the parque central plaza.

Tomorrow we plan to get up early to watch the Sunday market set-up before I return to Antigua in the afternoon for my last 2 nights before my flight to LA.

Liz, John Paolo and Caera will continue on to a recylced hotel near a lake. I wish I had more time so I could join them as the website looks fantastic. Check it out if you´re planning a trip here as I think it is definitely worth a visit: http://en.aaculaax.com/hotelaaculaax.html.

Bye for now,
Emm xxx

2006-11-22T14:44:00.000-08:00

Pics from Caye Caulker, Belize

The welcome plaque on the wharf

A pic taken by a 6yo girl.

The service might be slow but the servings are big!

Just10 minutes walk from our hotel

Empty conch shells under a pier

Another slow day in Caye Caulker

The way to our hotel

Bamboo Grill... where we have eaten dinner every night!

The lobsters don't get fresher than this!

Cut lobster on the beach

Reats with our mates Craig and Joe from Melbourne and "The Fijian Rugby Player" sitting between them.

Sitting outside our lunch stop, Rasta Pasta

Our hotel room at De Real Macaw

Adorable puppies

2006-11-20T12:46:00.000-08:00

Day 161-164 (Sun 19 to Wed 22 Nov 06): Roatan (Bay Islands), Honduras to Caye Caulker, Belize

So after escaping the storm on Roatan and surviving a night hanging out with myself in the Honduran port town of La Ceiba (where I killed time by taking a short cab ride to the Expats Club for dinner and a glass of vino tinto...), I jumped in a cab at 4.45am and headed to the La Ceiba Airport where after checking in for my flight and passing through customs, they decided to close the airport due to fog (not surprising considering it had rained cats and dogs all through the night and was yet to stop).

This shouldn't been an issue except for the fact that my 6am flight from La Ceiba to San Pedro Sula connected with my 7am flight to San Salvador where I was scheduled to meet Reats (who was flying in from Guatamala City) and connect with our 8.45am flight from San Salvador to Belize City.

So I had a laugh to myself... turned on the cable TV in the airport lounge... and indulged in some American sitcom television while watching the fog and pondering a back-up plan should they decide not to open the airport anytime soon.

Thankfully about 30 minutes later they decided to open the La Ceiba airport again (despite the fog maintaining the same appearance as 30 minutes earlier) and we boarded the small 30 seater airplane to complete the La Ceiba to San Pedro Sula leg of my journey. Taca also kindly held up the connecting flights (mainly because there were 25 or so of us connecting through) so I made it all the way through to San Salvador and met up with Reats for our flight to Belize City.

And into Belize City we flew around 10am that day.

From Belize City Airport we took a cab to the Marina (for $25 US / $50 Belize) and caught a Caye (pronounced "key") Caulker Water Taxi to Caye Caulker. This was about a 1 hour trip on a packed boat... and with all the waiting around, saw us arrive just after lunch.

With no accommodation booked we headed straight for De Real Macaw Hotel that I had found on the internet the day before (http://www.derealmacaw.com/) but unfortunately discovered they were fully booked for the evening (with rooms opening up the following day). And so it was off to the hostel down the road where we decided to spend just 1 night in their dorm accommodation as a stop gap and move to something nicer the next night.

We dumped our bags and headed up the road for lunch at Rasta Pasta where they make amazing (and massive) seafood borritos (with Jerk seasoning)... We also checked out a couple of other hotels to see what our money would get us elsewhere... and used this info to make the decision to book into the $50 US suite (with fan, private bathroom and cable TV) at De Real Macaw for the 3 nights we had left.

The 3 days that followed were spent enjoying island life and "going slow". We made friends with the local rasta boys and ate loads of delicious food including lobster, conch and shrimps with coconut rice, salad and refried beans.

Yesterday we joined an all day sailing boat trip with about 20 other backpackers and snorkelled Hal Chan Marine Reserve (a 3 hour round trip) with nurse sharks, stingrays (including the graceful spotted eagle rays) and loads of colourful fishes. The weather wasn't so hot (and the ride wasn't so smooth... due to a cold front coming through)... but the local alcoholic responsible for serving us food and drinks all day kept things entertaining. After the 2nd stop he demanded that we "pump it up" with his rum punch (probably spiked with metho). We obliged but all felt like we might "throw it up" if we had too much.

Arriving back to town around 4pm, Reats and I decided to join our new friends Joe and Craig (from Melbourne) for a few 2 for 1 cocktails at the local pub. And this was when we met the Fijian Rugby Player and his cut-up mate (who was apparently in a fight up the road involving guns, knives and a broken bottle). It didn't take the 4 of us too long to make excuses to leave for dinner elsewhere and enjoy some time away from the outrageous stories.

Today I was planning to dive the Blue Hole but unfortunately it was cancelled so I instead went out with a local dive outfit and did 2 awesome dives in the Hal Chan Marine Reserve - Eagle Ray Canyon and Cypress Tunnel. The highlight was the nurse sharks coming up really close and the 3m tunnel.

I have included some pics from the internet (as my photos are still in the disposable underwater camera).

And this is what I missed out on... The Blue Hole.

At least I now have an excuse to come back sometime!

Tomorrow Marita and I will take the lunchtime ferry back to Belize City for our flight to Guatamala City around 5pm. I will then head on to Antigua... just 1 hour by bus... while Reats will spend the night in a hotel near the airport in preparation for her flight home.

I have 5 nights in Antigua before flying to LA to see Sam on the 28th of November.

Til next time,
Emm xxx

2006-11-20T10:43:00.000-08:00

Photos from Roatan, Honduras... a piece of paradise

Pics taken at West Bay... a 10 minute boat ride from the town of West End, Roatan.

Some people wondered why I ditched the tour group and spent an extra 3 days here... think this should explain it!

A couple of snaps of where we stayed with the Gap Tour... Sea Grape Plantation Resort, West End, Roatan.

Jason, the Bar Manager at the adjacent resort's bar...

2006-11-20T10:41:00.000-08:00

Just call her Flipper... Flipper... Marita swimming with the dolphins in Roatan

2006-11-18T09:10:00.000-08:00

Day 153 - 160 (Fri 11 to Sat 18 Nov 06): Granada, Nicuragua to Roatan (Bay Islands), Honduras

After a morning pampering at a local beauty salon, a quick swim and a brief afternoon visit to the Masaya town artesian markets (about 20 minutes away by taxi), a group of us headed out on Friday night for a couple of drinks at one of the funkier bars in Granada town and partied the night away with friendly locals and tourists alike. It wasn´t such a late one for me but a fun night out all the same.

Chilling out poolside

From left : Me, Marita, Gabbie, Claire and Tracy... out for a night in Granada

Sucking down a Rum Punch...

Me, Claire and Gabbie

The bar staff at El Club were delivering free shots to the thirsty patrons... but not for me!

The following morning we departed Granada around 8am to begin the much anticipated 2 days of travel to reach our paradise beach destintion of Roatan in the Bay Islands of Honduras.

2 days on "chicken buses" I hear you say... What the?

Well thankfully the group agreed to invest in the "upgrade" option and for another $10 US we managed to increase our comfort for the first day at least by hiring a nice new private air-conditioned minibus to take us the 10 or so hours from Granada to Comayagua, the historic first capital of Honduras, and mid-way point of our journey.

And with the exception of a terrible lunch at a local Chinese restaurant about 20 minutes into Hondoras, I would say this travel day was one of the more pleasant ones we have had thus far.

The scenery was once again beautiful and well the lunch really just served to remind me of the reason why I tend to try to avoid Asian estabishments outside of Australia and Asia... I attempted to order stir fry veggies but was presented with boiled veggies in a mayonnaise/tomato sauce blend. Thank goodness for the plain white rice!

We arrived into Comayagua at around 6 or 7pm that evening... tired and hungry (as most people hadn´t eaten their lunch despite the enormous servings)... to be presented with just one dinner option by our now unpopular tour leader Michelle. She had been going on about this "Wendy´s" place for 2 days and getting all excited about it with a couple of the others and I hadn´t quite understood why. Well you can probably imagine my delight when I discovered that this much talked about establishment was in fact a poor cousin of the McDonalds burger chain serving up greasy fast food to overweight patrons. I was far from impressed but endured a salad, baked potato and orange juice simply because once more we had no alternative (this time because the town was known for drive by shootings which meant wandering the streets to find another restaurant on my own wasn´t an option). At least they did have something I could eat... it could have been worse.

So with a stomach full of very average food we returned to our hotel room where we caught a glimpse of cable TV before turning in for the night and waking again at 6am to complete the 2 day travel journey with 2 more buses and a wee 17 minute flight (another "upgrade"... this time costing us $30 US to avoid a 4 hour wait and 2 hour ferry).

We arrived at La Ceiba Airport on the Carribean Coast around 12.30pm and waited around in the lounge until about 3.15pm when our 2pm flight to Roatan on a 30 seater plane finally departed. And so after leaving Granada 2 days earlier, we finally arrived in Roatan at around 4.30pm on Sunday afternoon... just in time for a quick dip in the sea and a sunset cocktail before a dinner of coconut encrusted prawns! Yum!

Did I tell you how much I love small planes?

Marita with her new boyfriend, Wayne (actually not true... Wayne is on our tour and linked with Katrina)

The not so big plane...

Dinner with the Gap crew

Coconut encrusted prawns... delicious!

Roatan is a paradise in the Carribean and one I would highly recommend to anyone heading this way. And to top it off, for the next 3 nights we were blessed with cosy beds in a lovely little airconditioned cottage with balcony and hammock overlooking the sea at the Sea Grape Plantation Resort in the sandy street town of West End. Quite the treat!

On our first morning, Reats and I headed off early for breaky and a trip to the much talked about beach of West Bay... just 10 minutes away by water taxi. Here we topped up our tans while swimming in the crystal clear water and soaking in the atmosphere. This is what postcards are made of.

I returned to the resort for a lazy afternoon of reading and napping before signing up for an Advanced Scuba Diving course at a local dive shop, The Coconut Tree (recommended to be by Rob - the guy we met in Bocas). Lauren and the guys there took me on 5 dives over the next 3 days covering off wreck diving, navigation, night diving, deep diving and drift diving. With warm water, great visibility and a coral reef, I had an awesome time under water.

It was also here in Roatan that I decided to leave the Gap group. I made plans to stay on the island on my own for an extra 3 days rather than travel on to Anitgua via the Copan Ruins... This basically meant that I farewelled the group at 6am on Wednesday morning and then went back to bed for a couple of hours before packing up and moving to a private room in the local backpackers in town, Chillies, and hanging out with the dive shop crew.

To be completely honest, I was over the buses and group travel and preferred to spend my last few weeks enjoying island life.

I spent the days getting to know the locals and gringos alike.... and sampling a few more restaurants (serving up the freshest and most delicious seafood). I also got to understand some of the local issues... after spending some time chatting to various people about the Roatan Marine Park... set up in an attempt to take action to preserve the reef which is being threatened by disease and tourism. It`s interesting how the local people struggle to acknowledge the good that can come from a project such as this one.

On Thursday night a tropical storm came through (apparently the tail end of a storm that hit the north american coast?) and we were hit by heavy rains which lasted the whole of Friday.

While it did succeed in keeping me off the streets, the rain definitely didn´t dampen the fun. By 12noon I found myself sitting in Jimmy´s apartment overlooking the water drinking red wine and rums to celebrate his farewell with about 6 or so others from the dive shop. Jimmy is a Chinese American who owns a Chinese Restaurant and Sports Bar in San Francisco. He had been helping out in the dive shop and living in Roatan for the past 5 months and was finally heading home. By 5pm we were having a late lunch / early dinner and then by about 9pm... I was heading home.

I left the island this morning by ferry after crossing my fingers all night hoping it would actually run. Thankfully the swell died down a bit and the rain stopped.

The highlight of the ferry ride... I was handed a 4 week old baby to cuddle by a lovely couple from Roatan. She was delightful.

I´m now in La Ceiba spending the night in a hostel called Banana Republic... and waiting for my 6am flight to Belize City tomorrow. I have plans to meet Reats on the plane and we will travel together to Caye Caulker (another Carribean island and paradise). Tough life for some.

There´s not much to do here so looks like I might finish another book.

Til next time,
Emm xxx

2006-11-10T10:38:00.000-08:00

More random snaps from Granada... buildings, buses and an erotic painting

2006-11-09T09:04:00.000-08:00

Day 151 & 152 (Wed 8 & Thurs 10 Nov 06): Granada, Nicuragua

Yesterday was another long travel day (of which there are unfortunately many on this 17 day Volcano Tour). Thank goodness for the scenary...

One of the 2 volcanos on Isla Ometepe as viewed from the ferry

We left our hotel at 9.15am and arrived into Granada (an historical Nicuraguan city with a population of about 85,000 people on the shore of Lake Nicuragua) at around 2pm... actually a little earlier than we were expecting. The journey involved a van ride from our hotel to the ferry Port (about 40 minutes), a ferry ride across the lake to the mainland (about 45 minutes... on the open deck with coconuts and bananas in baskets), another short van ride to the bus station (about 10 minutes) and a so called "chicken bus" ride from the ferry port town on the mainland to Granada (a couple of hours).

Travelleing on the ferry with cargo of potatoes, coconuts, bananas etc. Wayne and Katrina deep in conversation.

The "chicken buses" are ex American school buses with plastic bucket seats, no air con and a narrow isle which gets crammed full of anyone and everyone who wants to travel by bus.

We were actually very lucky to get on this one because the ferry was running about 5 minutes late which meant we were at risk of missing our connection but thankfully the dude who drove the van managed to hold it up for us. Unfortunately this also meant that by the time we got there all the seats had been taken (a shame but hey, at least we didn´t have to wait around for 4 hours for the next one... and by some strike of luck Erica and I scored seats near the front when 2 school children got off... definitely a case of right place, right time. Most of the others from our group weren´t so lucky and had to stand up until the school kids in their white school shirts with stains down the front got off (why does every country insist on putting school kids in white shirts??). I was glad to pass some of the time away by interacting with the kids who were squished in the isles including one young girl with a glass eye... It caught my attention.

Heave how... onto the top of the bus these bags will go. Fingers crossed!

Marita took this shot from her seat at the back of the bus... so as you can see, crammed in like sardines.

Thankfully the trip only took around 2 hours instead of the estimated 3 or 4. I think I would have wanted to stick pins in my eyes if it had taken much longer. Eeek... i hate bus trips.

When we arrived into the Granada bus station Michelle, our tour leader, decided (for reasons none of us could explain) that we would walk the 8 blocks to our hotel in the scorching heat. I can only assume she wanted to punish us or pocket the money she saved in taxi fares because it was really quite rediculous particularly for those in our group who are not so fit. I couldn´t help but tell her I expected the taxi option next time to which she later claimed she couldn´t see enough taxis for everyone... well hello... we could have just WAITED a couple of minutes! This is Central America - there are taxi drivers everywhere trying to make a living. It was an interesting call particularly considering she has just a day pack to carry as most of her gear is in Guatamala waiting for her.

She went further to annoy us all by insisting that we dump our bags in our rooms and rush off to "book" our tours for the next day (when all we really wanted to do was have a shower and wash off the sweat... funnily enough!). As Marita so nicely put it, it would seem her main focus is getting us to spend our money so she can get kick backs.

Not to worry... all in the name of tour group travel! You win some and you lose some!

As for Granada, well it is a lovely little place to hang out in for a few days. It is very Spanish in its style with the main plaza and church at the centre of town both physically and culturally. our hotel is pretty basic... just a room with 2 beds and 2 stand up fans and a bathroom with a cold shower. At least this time I have a decent bed with a comfy matress... and I haven´t seen any bug or gecko poo.

Our street in Granada... just recently paved (a massive process that is continuing as we speak just outside our window... hence the 6am starts)

The church at the end of our street which faces onto the plaza

And speaking of poo, after a pretty awesome lunch at a local art cafe, I was struck down with another bout of the runs... coming on strong as I was strolling along the street a good 10 or so blocks from our hotel with Marita. Thankfully I found a pub near by where the kind lady took pity on me and let me use her toilets... and even without charge. It was then straight back to the room for a while. It was nothing close to the attack in Nazca, but all the same, it wasn´t too much fun. It´s the cramps that I find the killer and the suddenness of it all.

I chose an early night over drinking and as a result, was full of beans at 6am. I seem to have adjusted my body clock so much so that I am tired by 8pm and awake around 5am most days. If only I was this way at home!

I spent the next day wandering around the town, taking a ride with 3 others on a horse drawn carriage to see the historical sites and foreshore. At 4pm, we took a tour to Masaya to see the sunset over the volcano and the bats in the lava tunnels and caves.

I´ll let the pictures tell the story here other than to say the sulphur fumes were intoxicating but worth inhaling for the views.

Religion is never far away... the cross overlooking the crater... thought to ward away evil spirits

Our Gap Group sucking in the sulphur fumes

The lava from the active volcano...

Two freaks

The bat cave... and Marita´s well timed shots of the bats leaving the others in our group very envious!

The hardened lava on the roof of the lava tunnel cave... which is formed after the molten lava forces its way through the ground

Nothing like red roots and yellow hard hats

The bat poo on the floor of the bat cave

Too late for some... already affected by the sulphur

Til our next adventure,
Emm xxx

2006-11-09T08:50:00.000-08:00

Day 150 (Tues 7 Nov 06): Isla Ometepe, Nicuragua

After arriving in the dark, it was a pleasant surprise to wake and discover that we were actually staying in yet another beautiful place. The hotel´s dining area faced onto the shore of the lake which more resembled a beach except for the fact that the sand was brown and the water muddy. Because of the lake´s size it is tidal and there were small waves rolling in.

We enjoyed a breakfast of fruit and scrambled eggs with the local birds (a blue and white variety with long tail feathers and a crest… apparently called magpies although nothing like the black and white fellas we have at home). We had been warned the previous day that they may swing by in search of left overs… because many tourists had taken to feeding them. I immediately thought of my time in Hayman Island and the birds that actually did steel food straight from the plate. Eeek.

Thankfully breakfast was a big improvement on dinner, although I have to say, the coffee was undrinkable. It resembled what I imagined a cup of liquid mud would taste like. Revolting. Perpetua, The German on our tour explained that it was in fact Malt Coffee and while she didn´t particularly like it either, she had grown up with it.

I decided that this stop would be a good opportunity for me to catch up on some reading time so went back to bed in the cement shack for a while to continue with my latest novel, The Memory Keeper´s Daughter. This is the book Marita bought with her to read but as I was just finishing Candy when we met up, Marita kindly offered to swap. It is written by Kim Edwards and definitely worth a read (Mum, I think you would enjoy this one too and could even give it to Grandma to read when you finish it). It´s about the lives of those impacted when a twin girl born with Down´s Syndrome was secretly given away at birth by her bone surgeon father who delivers her in a snow blizard sometime in 1965 and informs his wife that their daughter passed away when she comes out of sedation… leaving them with a healthy son.

By around 10am I was over reading (and relaxing too) and so decided to venture out with Reats in search of the swimming hole which was apparently a 45 minute walk from our hotel. With instructions to follow the road to the right and look out for the sign on the left… we braved the humidity and headed off. We´d been walking about 30 minutes sweating quite considerably when we headed up a steep hill and came across a couple walking in the opposite direction. I asked if they´d been to the swimming hole and they explained that they were on their way too. Hmmm… we can´t both be right! Thankfully they spoke Spanish (as he was from Madrid... she Holland) and they were able to confirm with a local that Reats and I had in fact passed it some 15 or so minutes earlier. And so we turned around and wandered back with them, discovered the sign that was actually facing the opposite direction to the one we had been walking.

At the sign we were greeted by a couple of local girls eager to take our $1 US entrance fee and send us through a wooden gate that opened onto a very muddy path that apparently led us through the banana plantation to the swimming hole. We trugged through the mud which caked the bottoms of our thongs until they resembled platform shoes (yes, not the best footware but at least we didn´t muddy our boots) and finally arrived at the most beautiful man made swimming holes set in tropical scrub surroundings. We hung there for a few hours, swinging on the tarzan rope into the water and lazing about in the hammocks reading and eventually eating a plate (or in Reats case... a bag... because they ran out of plates) of plantane chips with salad (grated cabbage and carrot). It was very pleasant until I took a sip of my drink and was bitten on the lip by a giant flying ant that had been resting on the rim of the bottle. It immediately began to swell and I started wondering if I would die (thinking it could easily have been a wasp). Thankfully the local guy was quick to explain (in Espanol) that I wouldn´t die... Phew!

It started to rain so we returned to our hotel (in just over 20 minutes) where we were the envy of the rest of the group who had sat around drinking all afternoon.

I spent the rest of the day reading my book and actually managed to finish it.

I was in bed by 7.30pm.

Tomorrow we again have a long travel day leaving for the Port at around 9.15am. From the ferry we have another 2 vans to our destination and expect to arrive in the colonial town of Granada around 3pm. Granada is also on Lake Nicuragua.

We will spend 3 nights there in preparation for the 2 long travel days to Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras. This is where I think I will leave the group to spend extra days on the beach. I plan to do my Advanced Diving Certificate there as the Bay Islands are known for cheap, good diving.

Bye for now,
Emm xxx

2006-11-09T05:40:00.000-08:00

Day 149 (Mon 6 Nov 06): Costa Rica to Nicuragua

Marita has managed to maintain perfect nails... only she the nail princess could achieve such perfection

Marita and her pet baby Boa at the Snake House in Monteverde

Today we left Monteverde bound for Isla Ometepe in Nicuragua (an island formed by the joining of 2 volcanos in the largest lake in Central America).

We were warned that the border crossing wouldn´t be a pleasant experience and could take up to 1 hour... but as it turned out, it wasn´t so bad. After getting our exit stamp from the Costa Rican side we had to walk for 15 minutes across the border with all our gear in the blazing sun to the Nicuraguan side where we went straight up to the desk to get our entrance stamp. Apparently it is not unusual to line up in queues on both sides and be asked to present your passport up to 6 times during the crossing. We must have been lucky as we experienced no queues and were only stopped once. It was all over in about 30 minutes.

Once through immigration in Nicuragua we got cash from the ATMs and then sat around waiting for a hour or so for our van to arrive and take us to the Ometepe Island Ferry port. This journey took another 1.5 hours and the boat a further 45 minutes. It was surprising how rough it was considering it is a lake and not ocean. Guess that´s what we get for its size.

The lop-sided ferry which struggled to connect with the ramp... 4 men actually tried to pull it into shore... quite entertaining

Erica and me doing what we do best... waiting around loaded up with our gear!

When we arrived on the island... yet another van ride... this time a bumpy one along the occasionally flooded pot-holed dirt road to our hotel on Santo Domingo beach... between the 2 volcanos. We arrived in the dark around 6pm.

The view of the volcana as we drove to our hotel

All up an 11 hour journey and a total of 5 passport presentations - one on our way to the border, once upon exit, once during the crossing walk, once for entry and the last time to exit this special gate to leave the border area on the Nica side where you also have to pay a magical $1 US.

We stayed in what I would call very basic accommodation... a rectangular room that was probably once a toilet block with just two beds end to end along the right wall and a door at the far end leading to a very small bathroom with a toilet (with a stinky urinal cake and purple velvet cover) and cold water shower. I think it probably seemed worse than it actually was when we first walked in because the window was closed and so the heat and smell of the urinal cake was trapped in. There was also bug or gecko poo on our beds...

Tis is our room... the toilet block

Inside our room... at least we had the sun and the moon wall decorations!

I think the owner knew we got the short straw because he immediately opened the window and ran around organising a fan and later returned with a table and 2 chairs. He even attempted to make our beds... well open out the sheet that is.

Thankfully the hotel´s dining area opened out to the water which meant the time spent outside the room was quite pleasant. If only the food had lived up to the views. To top off the accommodation, our meal that evening was pretty lousy. We ordered fried fish with tomatoe and onions to avoid the "whole fish" option and ended up with 2 small deep fried fish on a plate with barely any edible flesh. Guess that´s what one gets for assuming it would be a filet.

Our hotel from the beach...

The extension of the dining area

I was in bed by 8.30pm although sleep didn´t immediately follow as surprise surprise... the mattress was just 3 cm thick so the hard wooden panels were digging into my back.

At least there was a new day dawning and there was a swimming hole to explore.

Bye for now,
Emm xxxx

2006-11-09T04:51:00.000-08:00

And some more photos from Bocas, Peurto Viejo and La Fortuna

On board the boat with our day tour group in Bocas

How cool are we? We borrowed this bike from Karen and Jo...

Taken from the boat on our trip from Bocas to the Costa Rican border

At the Panamanian side of the border with Costa Rica where we were fortunate to be offered a lift by the Italian couple with the hire car.

Marita´s name is popular in Latin America...

This is the view from the beach we discovered on the way back from our bike ride on our first full day in Peurto Viejo, Costa Rica.

Our bikes hanging on the beach

The scenary on our early morning ride through the jungle on our second morning in Peurto Viejo

Gotta love the basket... so handy!

The black sand beach in Peurto Viejo, Playa Negro

At the hot springs in La Fortuna... and no (Brendan), this doesn´t mean I have become an alcoholic - I am actually drinking much less than I would at home!

God life is tough here... isn´t it Reats!

Another boat shot... this time with the Gap Tour crew on our way from La Fortuna to Monteverde (faces from left - Hirbee, Tracey, Steven, Wayne, Claire, Gab, Izabelle)

A natural... Reats on her horse as they prepare to ride to Monteverde

Erica and me having just completed the second to last zip line.

Have I uploaded this one already....

2006-11-05T17:03:00.000-08:00

More pictures from our adventures over the past few days

(work in progress... more to come soon)

This bed had Marita's name all over it. And doesn't she look good on it!

2006-11-05T12:18:00.000-08:00

Day 148 (Sun 5 Nov 06): Monteverde, Costa Rica

Today we ventured off to the cloud forest for our first zip lining experience. If you`re having trouble picturing this think "flying fox" crossed with tarzan... Basically we were flying through the rainforest attached to a wire by a harness, a pulley and a couple of metal clips. 11 lines in total which took about 2 hours and included a couple that were about 350ms long and 150ms high.

We took some pics on Marita`s camera (because mine is broken... damn it).

I will upload some more from her collection soon.

Ready set go!

Reats zipping... (if you`re having trouble finding her she is on the right edge towards the middle)

On the last 2 lines Reats and I had to buddy up for a twin run due to the wind which involved me wrapping my legs around hers and squeezing tight.

A pic from one of the bridges we walked later that day... very scenic

Bye for now,
Emm (+ Reats) xxx

2006-11-04T14:17:00.000-08:00

Day 147 (Sat 4 Nov 06): La Fortuna to Monteverde, Costa Rica

Before I talk about what I've done today... I probably should mention last night as it turned into a big party night for me even though I initially thought I was too tired for dinner even.

It all started with a lazy red wine around 6.30pm and ended at 2am this morning eating french fries in the 24 hour diner with a stray dog under my feet (getting a tummy rub), Adi (our 22 yo trainee tour guide from California), a couple from Holland (who I picked up at the discoteque) and 2 locals... a 17 yo guy (who thankfully declared he was gay shortly after we met in the park as I knew immediately and hoped he did too) and his friend (who was of course a girl).

Basically after drinking the red wine with our Gap group I decided to have another (with some food) and after this second one, I decided to join the group in a taxi ride to the discoteque about 5 kms out of town. At that stage I thought I'd just spend an hour or so... to be sociable... and return to bed by 11pm. After all I was tired from all that canyoneering and kayaking during the day.

When we arrived at the venue around 9pm it was like being dropped off at a blue light disco when I was 15. A crowd of local teenagers had gathered outside and there was absolutely no one inside the large gymnasium like complex complete with a big stage, dancefloor, back bar and upstairs bar area. I wasn't that keen on sticking around at this point but as I was told it would be really difficult to get a taxi back to the hotel, I decided to give the young girl who told me that everything kicks off around 10pm (and pumps) the benefit of the doubt and pay the cover charge of 1500 colones (with $1 AUD equalling about 400 colones)... even if it was just to have one more drink with our crew.

So into the empty venue we went... 10 of us in total... all girls.

I headed straight for the bar at the back of the room only to discover they only served soft drinks. I was redirected up the internal stairs however this area was blocked off with plastic curtains and baracades over the entrance. Confused, I lifted the plastic curtain separating me from an alcholic drink and climbed over the baracade to order myself a vodka. As I did this, the young local lads at the bar (the only other people there)... stared at me with interest. It didn't take them long to start up a conversation (although it was short lived as they didn't speak English and my Spanish is still pretty basic). About 5 minutes later the rest of our crew arrived... through the correct entrance at the back... and Adi and I started playing pool with my new friends.

Well this was the beginning of a very interesting night.

Turns out the downstairs area was for the kids... and after about half an hour they entertained us as they danced in a circle to the latino musica. I watched with interest as they courted one another and branched off to salsa dance in pairs. Wow these kids can move! Eventually the downstairs dancefloor started to fill up and at this point I got a few people together (including Marita who wasn't feeling the greatest so had been pretty quiet up to this point) and went down to join them...

Being the dancing diva that I am I just couldn't help myself and had to wiggle my way into the circle of kids to join in. I even grabbed one of the young lads and danced in the middle of them and at one point was up on the stage dancing with the MC guy who loved the sound of his own voice and talked over the music a lot of the time. I wasn't so comfy up there all on my own so I dragged Marita, Adi and a couple from Holland I befriended up too and told the MC where everyone was from so he could share it with the crowd.

We were quite a hit after the stage episode and Reats and I seemed to be getting offers to dance from all sorts. You'd think by now I would have some idea how to salsa but to be honest, I am still crap.

Reats eventually retired for the evening with Michelle (our tour leader) leaving Adi and me... and the couple from Holland we befriended. We returned to the upstairs bar which had filled up by this stage and had its own dancefloor with slightly older patrons.

We left around 1.30am.

I felt ok this morning... and even better after a coffee. Quite lucky really as we had 3.5 hours of travel ahead of us. We left La Fortuna at 8.30am and arrived into Monteverde at around 12noon. The trip included a short van ride to a lake, a 30 minute boat ride and another van ride for about 1.5 hours. Marita opted for the horseriding option which meant she got off the boat and rode for 2 hours en-route. I considered this too but am looking for opportunities to save some money.

The scenary was once again spectacular with rolling green hills and lush rainforest.

Tomorrow we are visiting the cloud forest and zip lining.

Bye for now,
Emm xxx

2006-11-03T15:25:00.000-08:00

Day 146 (Fri 3 Nov 06): La Fortuna, Costa Rica

Today lived up to expectations - canyoneering waterfalls in the rainforest and kayaking the rapids were both just awesome excursions!!!

We left our hotel at 8am this morning with our canyoneering guide Juan and the best driver... the company manager... and returned this afternoon at 4pm with the "2nd best driver" (as the boys introduced him) soaking wet from our kayaking adventure with Tom and Jauani... me with bruises from head to toe but a big smile! And all for just $90 USD!

For the first half of the day a group of 7 of us canyoned down waterfalls including a number of short ones and two long drops of 50m and 60ms each. I´ve never done anything like it and I can´t wait to do it again.

Not me... but could easily have been. Our pictures are in the undeveloped waterproof disposable camera

Ditto... we dangled just like this guy!

And then the kayaking... well this time it was just Marita and me each in an inflatable kayak with one guide. And these guys were young lads aged about 20 years who were having a wow of a time trying to dunk us out of the boat. I was first in... and hence the one who has to buy the beer tonight. While it was only Grade 2 and 3 rapids, we were drowned in water each time and as far as I am concerned, I´m lucky to have only fallen out twice. The second time was quite dramatic as I was dragged along and banged up my shins and butt on the rocks and ended up in the moving kayak... backwards and without my paddle. Unfortunately it was gone for good... well actually, it wasn´t so bad as when you don´t have a paddle... you can´t actually do anything but enjoy the ride. 3 minutes later a new paddle appeared as we passed a checkpoint and our driver with the spare. Looking forward to the aching muscles tomorrow and explaining all the bruising!

This is not us either... but again, it easily could be! We think we got some good shots but won´t know until we develop it.

Tomorrow we travel to Monteverda where we visit the cloud forest and sign up for a zip lining tour through the canopy. Another exciting adventure.

Stay tuned,
Emm xxx

2006-11-02T14:06:00.000-08:00

Day 144 & 145 (Wed 1 to Thurs 2 Nov 06): San Jose to La Fortuna, Costa Rica

Today we left Puerto Viejo on the 11am bus to San Jose after an early start with a 6am bike ride. We were planning to ride to the national park as we were told it was only 10kms away (in the opposite direction to the previous day)... however after riding for nearly an hour, we discovered a sign saying it was a further 13kms away. We decided to turn back (mainly due to our time constraints) and instead took a deserted track along the black beach.

The 4.5 hour bus ride to San Jose (the capital of Costa Rica) was really picturesque with huge cliff faces covered in green ferns and tropical rainforest. A real treat to have such a nice view from the window. We arrived into the bus terminal without incident and found a cab to the hotel Gap had booked for the commencement of our 17 day tour. Turns out this hotel is the one that the Lonely Planet recommends if you want to splurge. The main highlight - the buffet style breakfast with made-to-order omlets. Delicious!

While the hotel was lovely (and in our case really modern because we were put in the 1 year old apartments across the street)... the city itself is nothing to write home about. Everywhere we turned there seemed to be a warning about pickpockets. Given this and the fact that it was pooring with rain and 4pm in the afternoon, we just dumped our bags and went in search of a late lunch. Fortunately Mundos, a Lonely Planet recommendation, was just 5 blocks away and fantasic both in terms of its menu and service. The highlight... fried plantane cups served with guacamole and bean paste with sour cream (with plantanes being a green hard variety of banana that is squashed and deep fried to create a tasty side usually served with main meals) . Which reminds me, did I mention that this is the land of Chicita Bananas...

At 7pm we met with our Gap tour group... who we will spend the next 17 days with (by the way, if you´re interested in doing this tour... it´s Gap´s Volcano Tour -http://www.gapadventures.com/tour/JSG ). Our leader, Michelle is a Texan (I think) who has spent 3 years working in Guatamala prior to joining Gap about 6 months ago. She likes to dance and seems super organised which always impresses me. We also have a trainee (surprise surprise), Adi. Adi´s Californian (notice I didn´t say American... all the Californians I meet tell me they are Californian first and American second). She is full of energy and also seems like a lot of fun. As for the group, there´s 12 of us in total and from first impressions... a good bunch. We have:
1) Hirbee and Steven - a couple from Dublin, Ireland who have been travelling the world for the past 10 months and like me, are just 5 or 6 weeks from returning home (where they are both pharmacists)
2) Wayne and Katrina- a couple from Melbourne who have come to Central America on a holiday from their jobs for 6 weeks primarily to meet the child Kirsty has sponsored for the past 5 or so years in Guatamala. When introducing himself to the group, Wayne said he was here because he was tagging along with Kirsty. Quite the Aussie couple.
3) Gabrielle - another Melbournite who has also been travelling around for a while and describes herself as unemployed (although she left a hectic job at Mushroom Records a few months back)
4) Erica - the criminal lawyer who has lived in London for the past 20 years but was born in Ireland and also quit her job because she is tired of defending loosers
5) Izabelle - a Canadian lady who decided to travel and do some volunteer work in Guatemala after her job was removed and she opted for the retrenchment package rather than the alternative roles presented to her
6) Claire - the Londoner who explained that she quite her job (as a social worker with delinquent children), sold her house, and left her husband in the lead up to this trip.
7) Perpetua - the German who lives just an hour from Prague in a remote part of Germany and also quit her job fitting pace makers (her background is nursing). She is super fit looking, very independent and I´d guess in her mid thirties.
8) Tracy - another Canadian... IT programmer who has just taken a 2 month holiday.

So there you have it... another new crew.

After our group meeting Reats and I decided to skip dinner and instead catch up on some cable TV. They were heading to the restaurant we had just been to and the thought of more food just wasn´t appealing. We met the group again at 8am when we caught taxis to the bus stop where we boarded another 4.5 hour bus, this time bound for La Fortuna... a volcano town.

This bus was a real adventure. Firstly, seating wasn´t allocated so we had to queue up. Then, despite our tour leader Michelle buying direct tickets, the driver turned it into a "stop anywhere en route" service about 56 kms away from our destination which meant about 40 people piled on to the bus filling all the spare seats and the whole isle right to the front windscreen. I felt like a sardine. We then stopped every 10 or so metres to drop off or pick up passengers which made this last hour of our journey really painstaking and extremely hot. We arrived at La Fortuna around 1pm.

La Fortuna is the town situation near Volcana Arenal... the 2nd most active volcano in the world. It apparently errupts all the time which means on clear nights you can actually see the lava spilling out of the crater. Of course we weren´t going to believe it until we got to see it with our own eyes so at about 5.30pm we had a van drive us to a look-out with drinks and take-away pizza in toe. After hanging out for about an hour, the clouds finally lifted and we did get to see some lava spilling down the side! Quite spectacular. Michelle also had the CDs so we had Madonna and then the Greece Soundtrack to sing along too aswell... much to the annoyance of the other more mature tour groups.

Arenal... Note that the active side is on the right!

What it might look like had it been a clear night... we really only got to see one or two streams

Didn´t take long for us all to tire of the lava and head for the Baldi hot springs... the thermal pools with swim up bars and cocktails. It was such a treat to spend a few hours soaking with a stawberry dakari in hand.

The first swim up bar

The second swim up bar

Unfortunately this is where my camera also cacked itself. So for now, Goggle Images only I am afraid. Plan to try and get it repaired. Otherwise, Reats has offered to share hers.

Tomorrow Reats and I have booked to do a Combo Adventure with Canyoneering and Kayaking Rapids. Should be awesome!

Bye for now,
Emm xx

2006-10-31T12:03:00.000-08:00

Day 141 to 143 (Sun 29 to Tues 31 Oct 06): Bocas del Toro, Panama to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

So after a poor effort at going out on Friday night... and a very quiet night on Saturday night (with Marita still recovering from her hangover)... I was totally up for a party on Sunday (being the day of rest and also pooring with rain - after all, what else is there to do?). Personally, I was pleasantly surprised that I was feeling this way as I was starting to think I'm turning in a a nanna at age 30.

It all began over lunch... with a couple of red wines with my fish tacos at Lemongrass... the local Thai restaurant that seems to have somehow lost its roots. Anyhow, Reats still wasn't feeling 100% but kindly provided company as I commenced the festivites. Thankfully after an afternoon rest I convinced her to join me for a Mohito at the sushi bar, Blow Fish, which opened at 6pm. There we were joined by our friend Jo (the Aussie gal from Bondi who we met on the day trip) and Rob (our new Aussie friend who we had met over lunch). Rob was born in Canberra, went to school in Sydney (Joey's), unied at the ANU and now lives in London. He is also living the life... travelling for 6-8 months every couple of years. Hats off to him!

When we ordered our first round of mohitos our barman explained that he had no mint... the vital ingedient... to which I responded with my saddest face and explained that I had been hanging out for this drink all day... and without fuss, he jumped on his pushie and rode off to the supermarket around the corner to buy the mint. Amazing... particularly given his state.

We had earlier asked why he was wearing his sunnies at night... and whether it was to look cool (... which of course he did)... but he had said no... not to look cool... but because it was Happy Sunday and he was in his happy little land man. Of course?!?!

So when he returned with the mint we could let it go to waste and one drink turn into 3 and a snack turned into dinner (delicious sushi and sashimi made by the guy from chilie) which then led to more drinks at the backpackers bar where Jo was staying and a return trip to the local nightclub, affectionately known as The Wreck Bar amongst us Gringos (because it is built over a wreck with an ocean pool in the middle of the bar).

Of course it didn't take long for me to strip down to my bikini top and nickers and jump into the pool... to get a closer look at the wreck and practise my syncronised swimming (what the?)! Thankfully Rob joined me as I would have looked stupid if I'd been the only one with my legs in the air! For a boy, he wasn't too bad either. Check out the pic below.

A rose between 2 thorns???... me with Rob and Marita

Rob with Reats and Jo

Sycronised swimming with Rob

Wet? Who me? Couldn't be?

And the solo performance... Photo by Marita!

And we didn't stop there... we went from swimming to swinging... all in the name of entertainment. We were all hanging around like chimpanzees swinging away until I decided it would be cool to swing between the wooden beams releasing mid air with flashbacks to my days as a gymnast on the uneven bars. Interestingly, the pinciples have stuck with me and I was able to fly through the air and catch the second bar no sweat. My hands are still sore from the experience...

Monkey me

Monkey Jo

Monkey Reats

We managed to stay till close and ward off the increasingly friendly local boys who wanted to know if we had boyfriends etc etc. Rob took this opportunity to practise his Spanish and tell them we were friends with benefits. God only knows why he had learnt this phrase. Eh boys?

Marita's new man... don't tell her mum (just jokes!!!)

The following day we got up around 9am... packed up our things... then headed out for breaky at Lili's Cafe on the water (where they make the most awesome omlets).

We left Bocas town on the 12.30pm boat to Changuinola... a beautiful 1 hour trip crossing ocean to the mouth of a river. Changuinola is just 10 minutes by taxi from the Panamanian border township of Guabito. From there we crossed the border to Sixola, Costa Rica, where an Italian couple offered us a lift in their hire car to our destination town of Puerto Veijo. We were grateful for the creature comforts of a four-wheel drive car with aircon... Sure beats a stinky bus.

We are now staying in a lovely little hotel with a pool in Puerto Viejo, a small Carribean beach side town where everyone rides around on cruiser bikes stoned.

Today we hired our own and rode for an hour to a beach 13kms away. It was a really scenic route with howler monkeys screeching in the roadside jungle.

Tomorrow we're booked on the 11am bus to San Jose, Costa Rica where we begin our 17 day Gap tour to Antigua, Guatamala (the Volcano Tour). Hard to believe that this trip is finally upon us.

Bye for now,
Emm xx

2006-10-29T16:05:00.000-08:00

Day 139 (Fri 27 Oct 06): Bocas del Toro, Panama, Central America

Marita and I arrived in Bocas around 4pm on Thursday afternoon after Paul dropped us at the Domestic Airport in Panama City on our return trip from Isla Grande.

The flight set us back $75 US each... pretty reasonable until you add the excess baggage charge they slogged us with because we were over their baggage limit of just 11kgs! Who travels with 11kgs? Certainly not those of us who have been on the road for 4 or so months. My pack is probably weighing in at about 18kgs at the moment (and that´s after sending 2 packages home and continually ditching non-essential items). So after coughing up another $23 US, the problem was solved. Anything to avoid another 8+ hour bus trip.

Have I ever told you how much I dislike small planes? Well I do ... particularly the ones that are flying in countries that have fewer rules and regulations than our own and have been known to send their pilots into the sky for exessive periods of time (or so I was told by the mother of a Lan Equador pilot anyway). When we caught sight of the plane we were about to spend 50 minutes in... I started to wonder whether I would have preferred the bus after all. It was a 30 seater and I spent most of the flight secretly praying that it wouldn´t fall out of the sky.

Actually... I managed to distract myself by making friends with the guy from USA who sat behind me and his 6 yo daughter who had just had her two front teeth pulled out. The were returning to Bocas after 6 months back in Canada and the States... as he owns a hotel in Bocas with his Canadian wife and they travel back and forth between the 3 countries throughout the year. He was very helpful... sharing tips on where to stay and where to go in Bocas. His wife was lovely too... although as we were landing she decided to share the fact that the runway ran off into the ocean so from time to time planes would end up in the bushes to the side. We all started to ride our pretend brakes and sure enough, we got view of the drop off into the sea just meters away.

One for my friends at Qantas... plastic boarding passes?!?!

Our plane... did I mention that Marita's seat was falling apart and she had water dripping out of the aircon unit onto her lap?!?!

Getting accommodation in Bocas was exceptionally easy. We organised for the taxi to drop us off at La Brisas Hotel, the one that the guy on the plane had recommended and sorted a lovely room with cable TV, aircon and fan for $30 US. The hotel also had a back deck over the ocean which made for a great spot to hang out in a hammock and read. They also organised tours so we signed up for an all-day boat trip the following day and headed out to eat (and drink).

Our first meal in Bocas... and first cocktail

Our second, third and fourth cocktail... The infamous Pina Colada

The all day boat trip started at 10am (after breaky at Lili's... where I had the best omlet of my life). We were joined by about 8 others including Jo (an Aussie gal from Dubbo who was living in Bondi before she decided to quit her job to travel for 12-18 mths), Karen (an Israeli gal now travelling with Jo with a huge infection/boil on her knee), 2 x 30 yo gynaecologists from Buenos Aires in Argentina, another Israeli couple (the guy being an ex of Karen's who she hadn't expected to arrive with a chick) and 2 guys from Switzerland (who we suspect to be a couple but never confirmed it). Our day included some dolphin spotting in a mellow bay, snorkelling at Coral Kay, lunch at a Carribean seafood restaurant on the water and some time for sunbaking on a remote island. We were back at our hotel around 6.30pm...

The highlights were definitely the dolphins and the snorkelling. It was like being in an aquarium again. I also enjoyed the sunset on the trip back to Bocas.

The dolphins

It was Friday night so we headed out for dinner and drinks. Reats was up for a big one... but I was in bed by midnight. Such a nanna.

Bye for now,
Me xxxx

2006-10-29T13:35:00.000-08:00

A few more pics from Isla Grande, Panama

Just around the corner from our accomodation

The island baby sleeping in the hammock

Our picnic spot... This is the life!

Locals on an island making huts in preparation for the peak tourism season

Our boat captain going the extra mile to crack open a couple of coconuts we picked up while walking

The Black Christ... in the ocean directly in front of our hotel

2006-10-28T16:06:00.000-07:00

2 more pictures from the Amazon...

2006-10-28T14:53:00.000-07:00

Day 132 to 138 (Fri 20 to Thurs 26 Oct 06): Quito Equador to Panama City & Isla Grande, Panama, Central America

After returning from the Galapagos Islands, Mand and I checked into The Magic Bean (a hostel in the New Town) for our last night together. It was right in the centre of all the restaurants and bars... a pleasant change from Old Town (Centro Historico) where we had stayed previously. We dumped our bags and headed out for dinner at Siam, the Thai / Japanese restaurant we had dined for my birthday celebrations.

On our way home I decided to check out a local concert in the plaza just down the road from our hostel. A local band, Tomback, were playing to a huge crowd and it was fun to be a part of it. I think it took all of 2 minutes for some local boys to introduce themselves and offer me a swig of their cask wine. I declined, thanking them for the offer. The band included about 8 or 10 drummers and around 10 or so other musicians. I really enjoyed it and would have liked to have got a copy of their CD but for the fact that I was leaving town at 6am...

I returned to our room by 11pm and was up at 5.20am. I was flying to Panama City via Miami on an American Airlines flight departing at 8.15am so had to be at the airport by 6.15am. This is where my time with Mands came to an end. I left her in Quito where she would spent another night before flying to Lima for a night and then on to Sydney. We had a great time together and created some wonderful memories. I look forward to seeing her again soon.

My flight to Miami took about 4 hours with a 4 hour stop over. I spent most of my time in the airport searching for healthy food and deciding on a book to read. I chose Candy, a novel about an Australian couple who become addicted to heroin.

I arrived in Panama City around 7pm and agreed to share my cab with an Italian business man who seemed to have no real clue about what to do. Thanks again to the Lonely Planet I knew exactly what the deal was and agreed to pay $15 USD each for the trip that usually costs $25 USD for one.

I had booked myself into Anita´s Inn, a fairly basic hostel not far from the main business area and restaurant strips. After checking in and meeting one of the handful of people staying there(Rex... the 60yo Aussie from Perth who was in the process of relocating to Panama to be with his Columbian girlfriend most probably met through the internet)... I ventured out on my own in search of dinner. It wasn´t long before I experienced the friendly Panamian hospitality which te hostel owner had warned me about when I had asked if it was safe to walk around at night on my own. A taxi driver pulled up beside me and tried his hardest to pick me (for a date that is). I just laughed at him at kept walking and eventually he gave up.

I found it hard to sleep that night as it is much hotter in Panama (about 30 degrees) and also really humid. I also had the outside light shining on my face. As a result I was also up early and after an orientation walk around the local area, I visited the local cafe, Manola´s for breakfast. It was here that I met Paul, the 38yo Panamanian Clinical Psychologist who is currently writing a book on Monogomy while lecturing at local Panamanian as well as United States universities. He was having his morning coffee and asked if he could join me. We spent the next 4 hours chatting... initially about topics such a the referendum that was taking place in Panama that day (a yes or no on whether to expand the Panama canal) and progressing to me sharing some of my experiences with married men both in Australia and South America. At some point through this conversation I explained that I was waiting for my girlfriend to arrive from Australia... as Marita was landing at 12.30pm and I expected her around 1.30pm.

And at some point during the conversation Paul offered to show us around the city and also explained that he could take a couple of days out in a day or so and take us to Isla Grande, an island about 2 hours north of Panama. It sounded good to me but I didn´t want to make any decisions until I had discussed it with Marita.

So I met Marita at the hostel at 2.20pm and put Paul´s offer to her before returning to the cafe and introducing her to Paul. We agreed to take him up on his offer... as it is not every day that you meet a local who offers to be your tour guide. We did however make sure we googled him on The Google (as Bush would say) and also sent his details home! You just never know!

That afternoon Paul drove us to the Causeway for lunch and gave us a run down on the history of the Panama Canal and United States involvement. His father was from the United States and had worked for the US Military. On our way back to the hostel he also took us to one of the local shopping centres for icecream.

Marita and I entertained ourselves the following day, Monday... taking a walk along the promenade before taking a taxi ride to Parque National Metropolitan. This is a national park about 10 minutes away where we walked for about an hour for views of the city.

The promenade in Panama City

The skyline

One of the local buses... a converted school bus.. snapped the same day a bus blew up killing some 18 or 19 people

Ants carrying leaves in the national park - their trail went for several meters

We met Paul at 7am on Tuesday and drove for 2 hours to Portabello and a town not far from there where we took a boat to Isla Grande.

Locals in Portabello practicing for the holiday celebrations only weeks away

We then spend 2 nights in paradise dining on local island cuisine and drinking Pina Coladas (and I was in heaven with the seafood which included Octapus and Conck... a big snail like creature that lives in a huge shell).

On the second day, Wednesday, Paul organised for a local to take us to other islands where we snorkelled and sunbaked. It was such a wonderful experience.

We returned to Panama on the 26th for our flight to Bocas del Toros in the Carribean.

Til next time,
Emm xx

Outside our room on Isla Grande... we were the only guests staying in the hotel

Paul

The panthers at the home of one of the locals

Island life

Paul and Reats on the boat

Hanging out at the bar with our Pina Coladas

2006-10-22T18:52:00.000-07:00

Day 128 to 131 (Mon 15 to 19 Oct 06): 4 day / 3 night Live-a-Board Boat Trip aboard Spondylus, Galapagos Islands, Equador

After 3 nights in Puerto Ayora we returned to Baltra Airport to meet our boat, Spondylus, at the Port just 10 minutes bus ride away for our day / 3 night live-a-board cruise around the Galapagos Islands.

Just another day in Galapagos

Our boat, Spondylus... home sweet home for 3 nights

We boarded around 10am and sat around chatting on the top deck for about 2 hours as we waited for the remaining travellers to arrive and board. In all we had a group of 16 passengers with a crew of about 6 to 8 local guys. The group included 8 x 50 yo+ friends from California in the United States who had boarded the boat 4 days earlier for the 8 day cruise, plus Matt & Sally (a recently engaged couple from Colorado), Blair (a NZer who has been living & working in London for the past 10 years), Jill & Liz (an American & an Aussie who work together at a world aids organisation in London & travelled to Quito for another work colleague´s wedding), and Amit (the Israeli guy).

Our first caiprihinias on board...

The four days that followed were awesome. I took about 1000 photos so I hope you enjoy the ones I have chosen to share.

Monday: Baltra - Bachas

On our first day aboard the boat we sailed to Isla Santa Cruz and spent a couple of hours exploring Bachas Santa Cruz... the main beach. It was a beautiful place to stop... with loads of birdlife (mainly friggets, boobies and brown pelicans), lava crabs, marine iguanas (including a couple who were swimming and even surfing in the water) and flamingos. The island is also the breeding ground for turtles and while we didn´t see them, we were privy to their tracks... as evidence that they do exist. After a guided walk, we snorkelled and had some time to laze in the sun. The visibility wasn´t great. That night we motored to our next destination throughout the evening... which made for challenging sleeping conditions. Our room was in close proximity to the engine so I barely slept with the noise, fumes and sideways rocking motion. The joys of boating I guess.

Looking back towards the boat from Bachas Santa Cruz

Bachas Santa Cruz

Pink Flamingos

A brown pelican in full flight... a common but

A swimming iguana

One of many lava crabs cruising the lava rocks on the shore of the ocean

Taking in the rays on the beach after snorkelling

One of our crew...

Lapping it up with Mand on the deck. This is the life!

Sunset

Tuesday : Genovesa

On the second day we woke to the sun rising over the volcano crater, Isla Genovesa (Tower Island). Quite an amazing sight as we wiped sleep from our eyes. We took the motor boat to the Prince Phillip Steps taking in the sights of the colony of sea lions as we pulled up to climb up towards the land and Boobie breeding area (with black masked boobies as well as both the red & blue footed variety). We spend a couple of hours walking around the island... a bird lovers paradise. We also snorkelled in this area later in the day... with schools of colourful fish including gropers and parrotfish. Snorkelling here felt like snorkelling in an aquarium. Very cool. That afternoon we visited another beach with more birdlife and a sea lion colony.

A sea lion or seal... still can´t tell the difference myself!

A baby Boobie

A red footed Boobie

Another species of bird

Hanging out with the sea lions...

Matt (back), Sally and Blair (front) on the top deck at sunset

Wednesday: Bartholomew - Sullivan Bay

On our third day we explored Sullivan Bahia (Bay) and Isla Bartholomew. Our morning excursion took us to Isla Bartholomew (the lava island) where there was little other than hardened lava covering the ground. From there we visited the mainland (Sullivan Bahia) where we walked to a lookout with spectatular views over a spit. Again we had time for some snorkelling, this time with penguins, white tipped sharks, a stingray and many colourful fish. We returned to the boat for lunch and motored to Puerto Ayora where we arrived around 5.30pm. After dinner we had the opportunity to go to shore for a few hours. After some time updating my blog, I had a couple of drinks with Mandy and Blair and met some people Blair had been travelling with. We got a water taxi back to the boat around 11pm.

Lava flow on barron Isla Bartholomew

The view from the lookout at Sullivan Bahia (Bay)

Cute!

A pelican just hanging out

Thursday: Santa Cruz: Charles Darwin Station - Highlands

On our final day we visited the Charles Darwin Station at 8am... to see Giant Tortoises in captivity. A breeding program was established in an attempt to increase the population and compensate for the damage done by the introduced species such as goats and cats. The tortoises were incredible particularly considering they live for some 100+ years.

Unfortunately this was where our cruise ended, despite our earlier objections and heated debate with both the guide and the representative from the company who own the boat (discussions that had begun over dinner the previous evening)! To cut a long and boring story short, we had expected the final day´s activity to end around 3pm and include a trip to the Highlands (an area where the tortoises live in the wild and where we could walk through 1km long lava tunnels) as per our booking agent´s advice and the company´s own glossy brochure and itinerary...

Instead we were left on the side of the road not far from the station at 9.30am that morning.

Mand and I were far from impressed! This was something the guidebooks warned of but given we had it in writing... we never expected to get caught out. We had signed up for a 4 day / 3 night trip that cost us $520 USD and it turned out to be a 72 hour trip (10am Monday to 9.30am Thursday). From their perspective this was not part of the deal as they had already been to the Highlands on the previous Thursday with the group who began the boat cruise 4 days before us. So after avoiding us for a while, they simply blamed the booking agent in Quito for getting it wrong... Typical!

Determined not to let this spoil an awesome adventure, we checked into the hotel we had spent our first 3 nights in and organised our own transport to the Highlands with Sally & Matt, Blair and his 2 friends. The 7 of us crammed into a 4-seater ute (with a couple in the traytop) and our lovely local driver drove us to a ranch about 40 minutes out of town where we got to see the giant tortoises in the grass. We also walked the lava tunnel... crawling on our hands and knees in parts. It was definitely well worth the $5 each pricetag.

The entrance to the lava tunnel

The following morning we returned to the Baltras Airport for our 12.45pm TAME flight back to Quito.

And so ends our Galapagos Islands adventrues. What an amazing experience. If you do nothing else in South America, go to Galapagos before it´s too late. This was something else!

Bye for now,
Emm xxx

2006-10-21T18:09:00.000-07:00

Thursday 12 October 06: Celebrating my birthday in Quito

Despite our best intentions, it took Mand and I several attempts before we finally managed to head out for a night on the town to celebrate my birthday!

In the end, it was the night we returned from the jungle... just prior to heading off to the Galapagos Islands.

We started with an entree of sashimi and cocktails at a Thai / Japanese restaurant in Quito´s New Town... A real treat for me as Japanese is something I really miss here! Having gone from eating it twice a week to not at all, it is definitely high on my list of things to do upon my return to Aus too.

Mand then shouted me dinner at a trendy restaurant that had been recommended to me.

We shared 2 divine fish dishes for mains with a bottle of Chilean red wine (Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon) and 2 delicious desserts (a chocolate mouse and a vanilla rasberry tart).

Bring on31 I say!

Bye for now,
Emm xx

2006-10-20T14:38:00.000-07:00

Day 125 to 127 (Fri 13 Oct to Sun 15 Oct): Quito to Puerto Ayora - Galapagos Islands, Equador

At 9.30am on Friday morning Mand and I left our hostel in the Old Town of Quito and flew to Baltra in the Galapagos Islands (with TAME Airlines).

We arrived around lunchtime after a 20 minute transit stop in Guayaquil. This should have been an uneventful flight however while we were waiting on the plane in Guayaquil airport I discovered that my iPod Mini had disappeared from my lap... most likely stolen by the man who had disembarked from the seat on my right or the cleaner who had been hovering around while I collected the rubbish from my seat pocket. Guess that´s what you get for flying on Friday the 13th!!!

While I wasn´t too distressed about it (mainly because I was planning to upgrade soon anyway)... it was a bit of a pain in the butt trying to organise the necessary documentation for the insurance. After being referred to the TAME office at the Baltra airport by the flight attendant, I faced the challenge of explaining the problem to the Spanish speaking TAME representatives who only really understood me when I attempted to act it out... and seemingly had no process for dealing with this kind of problem. I eventually wrote myself a statement on a blank piece of A4 paper and got the guy to put an official looking airline stamp on it with his signature and name.

We then took the free bus from the Baltra airport to the ferry port about 10 minutes away to get the ferry across to Santa Cruz island where there was another bus waiting to take us to Puerto Ayora, the main town about 45 minutes from the ferry port. This is where most people stay if they are not doing a live-a-board boat tour and given we weren´t starting our 4 day / 3 night boat tour on Spondylus until Monday the 15th, we decided to spend 3 nights there and use this time to scuba dive and explore the local sites.

As it turned out this was the perfect plan!

We had no problem finding a cheap hotel just minutes from the main plaza (Hotel Lidio del Mar - where we shared a twin room with a cold shower for $10 US each per night).

On the Saturday we visited the local beach, Bahia Tortuga - Turtle Bay, and got to experience Galapagos wildlife for the first time. We were up close and personal with loads of iguanas and 2 very cute blue footed boobies...

And on the Sunday we organised to do 2 dives with a local scuba diving company, Albatros Tours. They escorted us for a day trip to Gordon Rocks. While the 1.5 hour boat trip to the dive sites departed at 7am and was a bit rough, we got to dive with schools of hammerhead sharks (about 20 per group), a couple of tortoises, a school of eagle stingrays and loads of colourful fish. We also had fur seals swimming around us at our bouyancy stop. While they weren´t the most beautiful dives I have ever done, they were certainly pretty impressive.

The dive boat crew including 4 Brazilian men, a couple from Switzerland and a guy from Israel.

The rest of our time in Puerto Ayora was spent with the local police. On our first afternoon (Friday) we located the local police station and spent about 2 hours trying to organise a police report for my insurance company. Again we were forced to put our drama skills into action and after a long wait and some driving around in a police car... we finally got the document we were hoping for. I actually just think they enjoyed having 2 Aussie girls hanging around practicing their Espanol!

Outside the main police station where they type up official looking police reports if you have a spare 2 hours while they tap it out using one finger

We also enjoyed a few good meals... eating mainly at Cafe Hernon on the main plaza and the Cevecheria around the corner. Our friends Matty, Sarah and Emily from the jungle were also in town so it was fun just hanging out and catching up.

Eating Cerveche (fish marinated in lime juice and onions) in Puerto Ayora wearing my birthday present from Mand

We being our 4 day live-a-board boat tour from Baltra on Monday, 15 October.

Til then,
Emm xxx

2006-10-19T16:34:00.000-07:00

Day 121 to 124 (Mon 9 to Thurs 12 Oct 06): La Selva Jungle Lodge, Amazon Jungle, Equador

(more pictures to come - because I have so many more fabulous shots but am having trouble uploading them here...)

On Monday morning we left our hostel in Quito at around 7am to begin our four day Amazon jungle adventure at La Selva Jungle Lodge.

After taking a 20 minute flight from Quito to Coca our group of about 30 split into 2 groups for the 2.5 hour motorised boat along the Amazon river to the drop off point where we boarded 8-10 person canoes for the final paddle across the lake to see us arrive at our Lodge in time for lunch. While the day was a long transit day... we were already entering jungle territory and experiencing the beauty it has to offer.

The group of people who joined us for this jungle adventure were a mixed bunch, made up of:
1) 6 or so elderly couples (mostly around 60 yo or so with kids around my age...)
2) an arrogant European family with about 5 or so kids
3) a Gap Adventures group with about 10 single and incredibly boystrous 25-35 yo girls (mainly from Canada) and a 30ish yo couple from the US... who were beginning to wish they hadn´t signed up for a tour group!
4) and the left overs who became our "jungle crew" - Emily, Sarah and Matt (a group of friends travelling from NZ and Aus respectively) and a couple from Belgium, Sandra and Philip... all of whom managed to get the 2 for 1 deal advertised on the website!

Upon arrival into the lodge we were fitted with our rubber boots (essential for trudging through the swampy areas of the jungle canopy) and allocated our guide and our cabins. Our group was assigned to Henry, a 27 yo local guy from Quito who turned out to be a lot of fun (although he did struggle to keep us in check at times). Mand and I found also ourselves in Cabin 1... the cabin closest to the dining room and bar!

The four days that followed were basically structured around meals... with breakfast at 6.30am, lunch at 12.30pm and dinner at 7pm. In between times... we had a morning activity commencing at 7am and an afternoon activity commencing at around 4pm.

All in all both the excursions and the food at La Selva were excellent... although when it came to dining, both Mand and I would have preferred Equadorian food to the Americanised dishes they insisted on serving with fried potatoes or chips. Thankfully they attempted to cater for my increasingly painful dietary restrictions... which now comprises of no meat, no bread, no pasta, no capsicum, and no fried food! Both lunch and dinner comprised of a jungle fruit juice, a soup, a main course and a dessert.

On the first afternoon Mand and I squeezed in a quick swim in the lake before our first activity... making sure we followed our Guide´s advice by not peeing in the water (as apparently there is some kind of organism that swims in the stream of pee to enter the human body via the urinary tract - eeek!).

We then joined our "jungle crew" for our first jungle walk and introduction to jungle life.

The following morning (Tuesday) we walked about an hour into the jungle to La Selva´s tree-top tower to observe the activity in the top canopy. After climbing the stairs to the observation platform (about 45 metres off the ground), we spent the next 3 or 4 hours hanging out and spotting wildlife. As anyone who knows me well can imagine, I found this task a little challenging and while I enjoyed the first 20 minutes or so as we watched the monkeys pass by, I found the birdwatching a little tedious.

With the exception of the big exciting birds like the toucans, vultures, maccaws and parrots... I think I actually dislike birdwatching altogether. My frustration was emphasised by my lack of binoculars and a zoom on my camera. A lesson learnt the hard way.

I have decided that I am really only interested in the creatures that you can see clearly without these items so that leaves just monkeys and the larger birds in the case of La Selva. I was hanging out to see a jaguar or another anaconda but of course this was not to be.

While I only got to see them from a distance, we did managed to see a number of different types of monkey over the course of the trip including squirril monkeys, black tamarinds and cappauchino monkeys. We also got to see a sleeping sloth which was pretty cool too.

The insects and reptiles were also pretty spectacular with the taranchula spiders being my favourite. Of course the brightly coloured catterpillars and butterflies, lizards, frogs, and giant bugs, snails and millapedes were also pretty impressive.

In terms of the plant life, I was suitably impressed by the trees that were traditionally used as tents by the indigenous people and of course the ones which ´walk´ up to 3metres within a lifetime (noting that these may one and the same... not sure because I found myself switching off from time to time).

The beauty of the jungle landscapes, sunrises and sunsets also managed to capture my attention during the early morning and late afternoon canoe trips... and while the rest of the group continued to spot birds... I found myself infactuated with taking pictures of the sun, the reflections and the clouds.

On the third day (Wednesday) we were meant to visit a place where birds lick sulfur off clay but this excursion was cancelled due to rain and instead we walked through swamps to visit the home of a local family. Here we got to meet Sylvester and Bertie and their children. We also got to hold their pet baby ocelot (sp) and sample local indigenous food including boiled palmito, potatoe and banana. That afternoon we visited La Selva´s butterfly farm where they have a breeding program to increase the butterfly population. They also sell them all over the world.

On our final day, Thursday the 12th of October, we woke up at 5.15am and departed at 6am via the canoes followed by the motorised speed boats and 20 minute aeroplane ride.

When we arrived back in Quito, Mand and I gunned straight for the travel agency Happy Gringo in a last ditched effort to sort out a boat for our Galapagos trip. I had been emailing them about a couple of options but each one had fallen through as for a variety of reasons we weren´t in a position to complete the transaction. Amazingly we managed to secure 2 spots on a superior tourist class boat called Spondylus for 4 days / 3 nights for $520 US (plus the $335 US return flights and $100 US park entrance fee). The boat departs from Baltra on Monday 15 October which means we can continue with our plan of flying to the Galapagos on Friday 13 October and spending a few nights on land in Puerto Ayora where we can also try to do some scuba diving.

Our boat has the following itinerary:

Monday - Baltra - Bachas
Tuesday - Genovesa Island
Wednesday - Bartholomew - Sullivan Bay
Thursday - Santa Cruz: Charles Darwin Station - Highlands.

I look forward to sharing more adventures and photos very soon.

Bye for now,
Emm xxx

2006-10-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

Day 118 to 120 (Fri 6 to Sun 8 Oct 2006): Lima, Peru to Quito, Equador

After a couple of days hanging out in Lima... mostly shopping... Mand and I flew to Quito, Equador on Saturday 7 October.

I have been anticipating this part of the trip for some time now so have to admit to being pretty excited to arrive in yet another country in South America. I was also pleased for the slight increase in temperature. Thankfully it has been t-shirts and shorts again. Bring on the warmer weather!

We checked into our hostel (The Secret Garden in the Old Town - Centro Historico)... and quickly discovered that this hostel is just as the website describes it ie. an incredible social place! At 6.30pm we joined the 30 or so other guests on the roof-top garden terrace for a $10US meal deal - a 3 course dinner with 2 hours of free drinks. While the hamburgers they served were far from Equadorian, the company was good and we were able to make some new friends who then joined us for a day trip to the New Town and then to Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World) the following day.

With Ashley (from Melbourne), Chris (from California), Abi (from Canada) and Lindsey & Mark (from England)... we wandered through Parque El Ejido in the centre of town... through the Artesanal Mercardo stalls... before navigating our way to Mitad del Mundo on local buses (about 1 hour in duration) to visit the Museo De Sitio En Tinan where the lattitude is 00,00´,00" calculated by the Global Positioning System (GPS). With claims that you can see water go straight down the sink and stand an egg on a nail, this place was something else.

The view of the volcanos from the Mitad del Mundo

It´s official... I have now stood on the line that marks out the middle of the world!!!

The replica of a shrunken head - an ancient Equadorian indigenous ritual that was apparently performed on unsavory types!

Our next stop... The Amazon!

Adios Amigos, til next time!
Emm xxx

2006-10-02T20:26:00.000-07:00

Day 113 to 117 (Sun 1 to Thur 5 Oct 06): Arequipa to Lima, Peru

Me eating a passionfruit (maracuya) the local way!

We returned to Arequipa on Saturday afternoon for a final night t and 1 full day there before our overnight bus to Nazca.

On Sunday Chis, Karri, Sugar, Den and I got up early and headed just out of Arequipa town for our white-water rafting adventure. It was my first time and I just loved it! Yet another trip highlight! We were on the Rio Chile and to be honest, the water was very chilly... so much so that my feet were red and stinging the whole time.

Karri, Chris, Den, me and Sugar geared up for our rafting adventure

Our raft...

Ready eye Ready!

That night we departed Arequipa on an overnight bus bound for Nazca and upon arriving there we checked into our hotel (in the sticks) and went straight to the airport to fly over the Nazca lines in a small 6 seater aircraft.

Everyone had said that it would be a stomach wrencher but I was ok. Certainly felt a bit queezy but nothing like I expected. Thankfully noone in our plane threw up so well done to Clive (Sugar), Lynne, Karri and Mari.

I thought the lines were cool but wouldn´t put this excursion in the favourites bucket.

Our 6 seater plane...

Headset on and ready for takeoff

The flight path

The monkey... a bit like spotting needles in haystacks really!

That night I developed the stomach bug that was going round the group and was on and off the toilet from 4am til 8am when I finally took Gastro Stop (mainly because I knew we were going to be on a bus for 6 hours from 9am). Thank goodness 3 capsules managed to clog me up. Unfortunately the nauseous remained and I later had to take Stomitel to stop me from throwing up on the bus. It was no fun at all and was made worse by the fact that it was the sandboarding day.

Because I was feeling so poorly I missed out on the dune buggy ride through the sandhills near Ica (between Nazca and Pisco) and of course the sand boarding. Instead I got to swing in the hammock by the pool for 3 hours waiting for the others wishing I was dead and smile as the others returned overwhelmed by how cool it was. Really disappointed to have missed out. I had been very much looking forward to it.

The sand dunes I didn't get to sandboard on... there's always next time!

We continued on through to Pisco that afternoon stopping at the Winery where they make it on the way to the hotel. I did the tour but skipped the tasting session as I was still feeling poorly.

That night we stayed in a hotel in Pisco (a pretty drab and dodgy town with not much going on) and the following morning we departed for the 6 hour trip to Lima taking a public bus from the highway. Lima has a really bad reputation for being a grotty and unsafe city... So much so that anyone who came into contact with us before we boarded the bus told us not to put our belongings under our seats and to keep them in our possession as thieves were really common both on the bus and in Lima. Apparently they send small children under the seats to break into bags. Of course, nothing happened because we were all handing on to our stuff.

We arrived into Lima at around 5.30pm on Wednesday the 4th of October. The area surrounding the bus station wasn´t so nice but after a 20 minute mini-bus ride to our hotel in Miraflores (the upmarket area), everything seemed quite pleasant again. Miraflores reminds me of Ipanema in Rio. A surprisingly swanky suburb in the middle of grossness.

That night we went out for our final Gap group dinner as our tour finished on the 5th and some people were leaving that night. My roomie, Sher left at 3.30am.

I spent the following day with Mari checking out the Lima Inka Markets and also
visited the very flashy Miraflores supermarket where I bought some fresh food so I could make a caprese salad and remind myself of Italy.

I met up with Mandy at 2.30pm in the hostel, The Point in Barranco. It was so exciting to see her after such a long time and as you can imagine, we spent the next few hours catching up. I had a sore throat by the time we called it quits... around 10pm. We had talked the afternoon away.

The following day we walked along the cliffs to Miraflores and had a delicious breaky in the swanky shopping complex overlooking the beach (playa). We then spent a new hours at the shops before I took another visit to the post office to send home another parcel. This one cost me $80 AUD for about 4kgs.

Lima's answer to Bondi Beach... they even have a pool beachside... a little further along

Lima's beach from another angle

On Saturday the 7th we took a flight from Lima to Quito, Equador to begin our Equadorian adventures.

Til next time Chicas,
Emm xx

2006-09-30T17:59:00.000-07:00

Day 110 - 112 (Thurs 28 to Sat 30 September 2006): To Arequipa for the Colca Canyon excursion, Peru

This afternoon (Saturday) we returned to Arequipa after a 2 day (1 night) Colca Canyon excursion... and I have to say, this was yet another trip highlight!

After spending a final night in Cuzco after completing the Inca Trail on Wednesday, we took a flight to Arequipa the next morning (Thursday)... with Mandy arriving into Cuzco by bus just as I was waiting to fly out of Cuzco at the airport. Just our luck! I had a hunch she might be close so sent her a text and this is when we discovered just how close. We only missed seeing each other there by a couple of hours. I did however manage to chat to her on a mobile... she had sent me the name of her tour guide who turned out to be a friend of my tour guide and so my guide called Mandy´s guide and we got to chat for a few minutes. Considering we hadn´t spoken for 4 months, it was nice to hear her voice. She was heading off to commence the Inca... so I managed to slip in a couple of tips. Not long now til we meet up (5 October).

We left early on Friday morning in our own private mini-van complete with specialist tour guide and travelled a rough, rutted road through high plains flanked by extensive Inca and pre-Inca terracing en route to the Colca Canyon—the deepest canyon in the world. After numerous photo stops and lunch in the town of Chivay, a picturesque village near the canyon, we arrived at our hotel around 4pm.

One of the volcanos not far from Arequipa

As luck would have it we were blessed with a gorgeous hotel with spectacular views and possibly the best food I have had all trip. It was a buffet dinner with an outstanding vegetarian selection based on local Peruvian dishes.

Before dinner we had a quick tour of the town before returning to Chivay to visit the local hot thermal baths at sundown. With the backdrop of the mountains, we soaked in the outside pool with other travellers until our skin pruned. A particularly nice experience post Inca.

The following day we got up early to continue our tour around the canyon, stopping at a few more vilat “miradors” (scenic lookouts) where we also saw about 10 to 15 Andean Condors soaring over the Andes. These birds have a wingspan of up to 3 metres and are related to the vulture although they mainly feed on animals that are already dead. We also saw the 3 different species of camelids: alpaca, llama and vicuña.

Here in Sth America, the kangaroo is replaced by a llama

A little girl and her pet baby alpaca at one of the lookouts enroute

The scenerary was cool and it was definitely impressive to see the giant condors flying in the canyon.

A condor in flight above the canyon

One of the many cactus plants on the edge of the canyon

Tomorrow I am planning to do a half day white water rafting excursion so I can avoid "shopping" and do something active again. I leave for Nazca tomorrow night on an overnight bus and plan to fly over the lines (primarily because there is nothing else to do there by the sound of it). Everyone has told us that vomitting is quite probable and given the fact that 75% of our group is sick 95% of the time, I am sure someone will... prompting others to follow. To date I have successfully managed to avoid major illness... miraculous considering my roomie has been ill most of the trip.

I even popped into a botanical shop where they sell natural remedies and got chatting to the doctor who is medically trained but favours naturapathy. After quizzing him about almost every product in the shop, I bought some probiotics made of bee fat to help boost my immune system. Think it is only a matter of time before I get my serve. We also have 3 or 4 people with serious chest infections who cough the whole time. A less than pleasant experience when you are travelling on mini-buses so often.

Bye for now,
Emm xx

2006-09-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

Day 106 to 109 (Sun 24 to Wed 27 Sept 06): The Inca Trail, Peru

On Sunday 24 September 2006 I began the much anticipated Inca Trail experience with Sher, Sue, Karri & Chris, Den, Mari, Mel and Leonni from our Gap tour group (with Clive and Denni opting for another trek and Lynne sidelined with her knee)... We woke at 5am for a 5.30am breakfast feast before boarding a bus at 6am with our 7kg max weight duffle bags (majority taken up by our sleeping bag and inflatable mattress) and daypacks... for the journey to the start of the trail just 1-1.5 hours away. It was on the bus that we first met our Inca Tour guide... (another) Fredy... and his trainee, Bilma. Fredy was quick to explain that we were now a "family" and so was born the Inca "Flinstones" and our yabadabadoo war cry.

After arriving at the drop off point we had our last opportunity to use a "normal" loo and buy water beforing snapping our "before" photos and setting off in the direction of the first check-point where Fredy registered us and we got our entry stamp in our passports.

The Inca "Flinstones" Family pre-Inca... including Sher`s new baby, Osito the bear!

Crossing the railway before reaching the checkpoint...

From left... Sue, Mel, Karrie & Chris getting their passports stamped at the checkpoint.

Once we had our passports stamped we crossed the river over this bridge to begin the hike.

I certainly have something special when it comes to pigs... this one strolled up to me and rolled over as I rubbed its tummy with my stick (just like a dog!)

Our first day of hiking was pretty full on with about 8 hours of walking in total. I was full of energy and enthusiam for exercise so walked ahead most of the way. I also think I was craving some "me time" which can be difficult to get when you are on a tour and sharing a room every night. My early memories are of the tiny little mosquitos that buzzed around my face and bit me every now and then. For such a pint sized insect they gave quite a sting. They also left marks which continue to decorate my legs today (about 1 week later) and gave Mari a seriously swollen ankle which led to her getting 2 injections post Inca.

We stopped for lunch at 3000 mt (Wayllabamba) and enjoyed our first taste of Inca campfood... ocean trout, rice and salad. Not bad considering everything had to be carried on the backs of the porters. Over lunch we agreed to push on for a further 3 hours to a campsite (Llu. Lluchapampa)... not far from the highest peak, Warmiwanusca. The decision meant we would be closer to the summit and have a less strenuous day 2. Unfortunately this also meant a rediculously challenging day 1. The path from the lunch campsite kept on winding upwards for what seemed like an eternity until we finally reached our campsite around 5.30pm. Mari, Den and I were the first there... with Mari overtaking Den and I as she powered home. For just 40kgs and no exercise, she did Japan proud. I think it was the height of the steps and the fact that we couldn´t see our destination that made this section such a killer.

Thankfully our first night sleeping in our tents was fine for me... helped by the "hot water bottle" (boiling water in my spare plastic water bottle) to heat the sleeping bag pre entry. The only frustration was needing to pee in the middle of the night while it was raining... after too many hot chocolates and coca teas. A small problem really and one that was overcome in the moment of sheer desperation!

The second day was also pretty strenuous with a steep incline to the first pass (and highest point of the trek) at 4200m above sea level. From memory this bit took about an hour or so in our raingear and ponchos. Upon reaching the summit we had to wait for the rest of the group... including a couple who were suffering from stomach bugs or altitude sickness. The plan was to perform a ceremony for Pachamama (mother earth)... and after waiting 45 minutes freezing our fingertips off, Fredy agreed to doing it without Mel and Sue. We got to swig on a bottle of rum after dribbling some over a pile of rocks we created as kind of offering and request for proection and fine weather when we arrive at Machu Pichu.

The porters carrying their load of a maximum of 25kgs each... apparently this used to be more like 60kgs just 2 years ago before the load restrictions came in

We also passed the second highest oint of the trek... Runkuraqay at 4,000m. That second night we camped in a pretty spectatular campsite (Chakiqocha - 3,600m) with a view to snow capped mountains. Unfortunately this night wasn´t one that my roomie, Sher will want to remember... She was up all night with a stomach bug. I had a pretty restless sleep as a result and rose early.

Our tent on the second night

The campsite on our second day... with the snow capped mountains hidden behind the clouds

The scenary along the way...

The fog... the mist... and the clouds

The third day, the 26th of September, was my 30th birthday... and it began early with a peek out of the tent to see snow capped mountains in the distance. We also had an early start to trek up to the third pass (Phuyupatamarca - 3,600m) and view Machu Pichu mountain for the first time... a particularly impressive site.

We only walked about 4 hours that day and I was the first to arrive at the last campsite... the one with hot showers and beer. And I was glad of the opportunity to scrub off the dirt! I was also excited that my mobile phone miraculously delivered all my birthday messages despite showing no mobile signal. They popped up in the strangest places ie. while I was taking a pee in the grass, while I was exploring the archeological site (pictured below) and as I entered the Sun Gate the following morning.

On the final day we rose at 4am (after waking at 3.30am to the sounds of the porters preparing our breakfast)... and left camp at 4.30am to be one of the first groups to reach the checkpoint to the Sun Gate walk which opened at 5.20am. I was once again full of energy so power walked this stretch of the trek and was the fourth person to arrive at the Sun Gate which meant that for about 15 minutes, we had a peaceful moment with the Andes and watched the sun rise over Machu Pichu. Unfortunately the masses then arrived and a couple of inconsiderate German lads lit up their cigarettes and polluted the fresh air. I made it clear that it was completely selfish and made a scramble for the path to the Machu Pichu archeological site about 20 minutes away. We then spent the better part of the morning on a guided tour of the site before Mari, Den and I decided to do the "extra" hike up Waynapicchu mountain to get an even better view of Machu Pichu. It took us less than 40 minutes as once again I preferred to just go for it than take it easy. I also scambled the rocks to reach the peak because I didn´t realise there was another way. Definitely a great final experience!!

Waiting for the track to open at the last camp site... opening time 5.20am (with Sher and Leonnie)

Oh Pachamama thank you! A glorious day for us... Machu Pichu

After returning from Waynapicchu around 1pm we navigated our way out of the Machu Pichu site and took the bus back to the town of Aguas Calientes where we had a late lunch and then wandered around until we met the rest of the group to take the train and mini-bus back to Cusco (a 4 hour trip in total).

As a belated birthday present, Shirley our guide offered me a massage that night and given the way my calve muscles were feeling from the steps... I didn´t decline. It was such a nice way to end the day.

I slept like a baby!

Next...????

Ciao for now chickas,
Emm x

2006-09-29T06:32:00.000-07:00

Day 105 (Sat 23 Sept 06): Ollantaytambo

On Saturday 23rd of September we departed Cusco for a guided tour of the Sacred Valley and an overnight stay at a hotel in Ollantaytambo, a small town about 1.5 hours from the start of the Inca Trail.

I had no expectations of this tour with the Inca Trail just 24 hours away so when it turned out to be quite an interesting day I was pleasantly surprised. We departed our Cuzco hotel at about 6am and drove for about an hour before stopping at a town where the wives of the Inca Trail porters sell handy-crafts as part of a project that Gap Adventures is sponsoring in an effort to give back to the local community.

The porters` wives spinning wool for their wares

Their little donkey... which is actually very much alive much to everyone´s surprise!

The natural dye they aquire from the eggs laid on the back of the cactus plant by some kind of insect (I think that is the story anyway)

This stop was followed by a visit to a Llama and Alpaca farm where we learnt more about the various different species of domestic and wild llamas and alpacas and had the opportunity to pay and feed them. If only they were hungry!

A lesson in species identification

Feeding the alpacas... my favourite of the 4 main species

Such confidence!

Alpaca steaks anyone... how could anyone possibly eat such a cutie!

One for Rove!

Rasta!

Talk about a cute butt!

Another weaving demonstration!

After a lunch stop in a small town en-route, we finally arrived in our final destination for the day, the town of Ollantaytambo. With a fortress strategically situated overlooking the beautiful Urubamba River Valley, this major ruin site is known as the best surviving example of Inca urban planning and engineering. It is admired for its huge steep terraces guarding the Inca Fortress and for being one of the few places where the Spanish lost a major battle during the conquest. We explored the site with our guide before purchasing our walking sticks for the Inca trail from the adjacent markets and walking to our hotel just down the road.

Me with my newly aquired walking stick and purse purchased from my poco amigo (little friend)!

The Inca Trail begins tomorrow.

Bye for now,
Emm xx

2006-09-18T16:33:00.000-07:00

Day 101 to 104 (Tues 19 to Fri 22 Sept 06): Cuzco, Peru

After an extremely scenic 7 hour bus journey through the Andes from Puno, we arrived into Cuzco about 3pm in the afternoon on Tuesday.

The view from my seat on the bus... Seat numbers 1 to 4 were hot property!!!

Cuzco is the continent’s oldest continuously inhabited city, and the hub of the South American travel network. For me, Cuzco is a beautiful city and a great place to rest up for the Inca Trail which starts for us on the 24th of September. It is also just cool to have 4 nights in once place after so many short stays throughout this tour and also my time in Europe.

The main plaza in the centre of Cuzco... our hotel is just 1.5 blocks from here... up hill!

A few more pics of the plaza...

And by night...

And the view from the balacony of our hotel

After a devine lunch at Jack´s Cafe (a Bronte style establishment serving awesome soups, salads, stirfries, juices, coffee etc), Shirley introduced Sher and me to the girls at her favourite beauty salon and we commenced some much needed pampering. I had a pedicure followed by a wash and blow dry. I think this was a case of "just in time" treatment as I was really starting to despise my long hair and it was actually nice to finally see it shiny and looking semi decent! If only long hair didn´t require so much work I might enjoy having it.

The devine vegetarian salad they serve up at Jack`s!

Me with blow dryed hair... Don`t worry, it will be cut short as soon as I get home!

With my freshly styled hair I was keen for a big night out so after Sher left me at Los Perros (the trendy Aussie bar) to get some rest, I hung out on my own for a bit... finishing off her mohito and mine... before I was miraculously joined by Shirley and Guido. They had called our hotel room and Sher had told them where I was.

And so began another big night!

The 3 of us left Los Perros and headed out to Mythology, one of the well-known night clubs here... where we danced the night away. We had such a great time and I continued to do so after they left me there around 2am in the company of their local friends. And I continued to dance until about 3am at which stage I left and bumped into a couple from Adelaide just after I realised I was heading up the wrong street. When I told them I went to Unley High they immediately asked me if I new Mark Debrowski, a guy who was actually in my year at high school and a fellow Prefect. They are good friends with him and his wife so wrote down my name! Such a small world.

My tour guide, Shirley and me at Mythology

Me, Guido and Shirley cutting it up

Well thankfully I have fond memories of the evening because the following day was a complete disaster. I woke up feeling terribly nausious and after throwing up for a couple of hours, left the hotel room only briefly to attempt to eat some breakfast at Jack`s. About 20 minutes later I returned to bed and stayed there until morning. Despite only having about 6 cocktails over 7 or so hours, I was in a complete state with a horrible fever. I won´t be drinking like that in the altitude ever again... well that`s what I am saying now. It is my 30th birthday on the Inca trail afterall.

Anyhow, by yesterday (Thursday) I was feeling ok again... and got to explore the city.

Shops, shops and more shops. The markets here are really great.

Today is Friday and another rest day for me to ensure I am fit for the Inca. We depart tomorrow and begin the trek on Sunday (24 September).

I look forward to updating you upon my return to Cuzco on 27 or 28 September.

Ciao for now Chickas,
Emm xx

The Inca Walls that this city is famous for!

The special 12 point inca rock

2006-09-18T16:14:00.000-07:00

Day 98 to 100 (Sat 16 to Mon 18 Sept 06): Puno & Lake Titicaca, Peru

After a lazy day in La Paz on Friday, we finally met our new guide Shirley at 7pm. She was joined by Guido, a trainee like Julio who will join our tour to learn the ropes. Both Shirley and Guido made a good first impression! Shirley is just as Fredy described... full of life and energy but also very professional.

We were also joined by 4 new group members (replacing the ones who left us)...
1) Chris & Karry, an Aussie couple from Brisbane who have been living in Manchester for the past 2 years
2) Leonnie, another Aussie originally from Canberra who is on holiday from her job as a Scientist in Melbourne, and
3) Mel, a Canadian, on holiday from her job as a social worker.

Everyone seems pretty layed back and I look forward to getting to know them all!

I wasn`t feeling 100% so after our group meeting, retired to bed and ordered room service. Think it is a combination of sadness over our departing colleagues, exhaustion (having been on the go now for over 3 mths) and a cold that is going around our group.

We departed La Paz (Bolivia) on day bus bound for Puno (Peru) at 8am the following day (Saturday). This 6 hour trip was a bit of an adventure as we had to cross the border which involved getting off the bus on the Bolivian side, getting our exit stamp from the border patrol officials and walking across a bridge (the centre of which marks the border between Bolivia and Peru) while the bus crossed the border with our bags. On the Peruvian side we then had to visit their office to get our entry stamp. Interestingly we were told to check the date stamp carefully to ensure it was correct. Fortunately, no trouble.

We arrived into Puno at around 1.30pm and checked into our hotel.

Puno is a small town with a main plaza, a small shopping mall and a central market. Puno is also the highest altitude of any place we sleep on the tour at 3830 m above sea level and I am glad we had aclimatised earlier in our trip as I felt ok. It is used as a base to visit Lake Titicaca (the largest lake in the world above 2000m) and its islands. Our main objective there... well apart from eating and sleeping... was to purchase gifts for the families that would host us the following night during for our homestay on one of the islands. Our gifts comprised of candles, fresh fruit from the produce markets, a jar of jam (Fanny brand) and tins of tuna, peaches and condensed milk. We also bought some school books, pencils and textas in case of young children. The combined 20 sol budget was slightly overblown but then again, it was still only about $5 AUD each to us so very little indead.

We departed the following morning on bicycle taxis and arrived at the Port of Puno about 10 minutes later. From there we boarded a motorised boat and spent the next 2.5 hours cruising to one of the islands (Taquile Island). As you can see below, the scenary made the time fly by.

Here we hiked to the main plaza for lunch stopping along the way at the home of a local family for an explanation of their unique culture, style of dress and lifestyle. In brief, the men of the community do all the knitting, as this is strictly a male domain, while the women do the spinning. Quite a refreshing change really although the work the women were performing still seemed the more tedious of the 2.

As you can see in the pictures above, the men of this island wear knitted beanies... the style of which indicates whether they are single or married. Married men wear a colourful patterned beanie while the single one is mostly white. Apparently in more recent times many of the married men continue to wear the single variety because it is too complicated to knit the more colourful ones. Typical eh? We were also told there is no such thing as divorce in their culture ie. you marry for life... and that the average age for marriage now is around 26-28 years.

Lunch started with a delicious vegetable and quinoa soup (quinoa is the rice equivalent here in Sth America because it is easily grown at altitude and has excellent nutritional value). Our second course was grilled trout fish with a side of salad. Also delicious. We have now learnt that salad is not Here a salad can either be hot or cold vegetables or a combination. You never really know what you will get. The view was also amazing as you can see from my picture of someone else`s Inca Cola below. My body is a temple here in South America so soft drink is off the agenda for me!

We left the island about 3pm and arrived at our homestay island (Amantaní) about an hour later. Despite the short distance that separates the two islands, Amantaní is quite distinct. Its soil is a rich terra cotta red, due to the high iron deposits, and the colour contrasts brightly with the deep azure blue of the lake and sky and the greenery of the local crops.

We split into pairs and were billeted our to mamas to spend the night in family homes to experience their style of living first-hand. It was with Olga for Sher and me... the only mama with a baby slung over her back. Who told Guido that we are both at that clucky stage of life? Turns out Olga is a 22 year old single mum who lives with her mother Lorrenza in a very simple farm house. We had a lovely old time playing with "Young Richo" (the 16mth old baby) and trying to communicate with them over the simple meal they prepared for us in their candle lit dirt floor kitchen with fire stove.

Olga with "Young Richo"

"Our" baby chewing on his pencils

Before dinner I joined the others at the local football field and watched the locals play with a few gringos joining in for good measure. I wasn´t confident of my ability to play at altitude without hyperventilating so stayed on the bench cheering and taking pictures.

A self portrait to show off the beanie that my mama made for me...

One of my football field mates who wasn`t shy of the camera...

Me and some more of my new friends

After dinner it was time to prepare for our fiesta (party) at the local community hall. Our mamas were charged with the responsibility of dressing us up in traditional costumes and delivering us to the hall for a couple of hours of dancing and mingling with the other mamas and their visiting gringos... all on similar excersions to us. It was quite an amazing experience and one that I doubt I will ever forget.

Getting dressed for the fiesta with my mama

Nearly done...

The finished product!

With Sher and our mama Olga

Sue and Mari´s "available" mama... Suspect she is hot property on this island!

The following morning we got up early, took some more photos, had breakfast with our family and returned to the port to bid our mamas farewell and take the boat back to Puno via the floating reed islands.

My family`s home at about 6am in the morning

Olga, me and Lorenza with baby

Olga`s mama Lorenza carrying the baby

Olga doing what all the island girls do... she is spinning wool as she walks along. She was even doing this while carrying the baby

The mud bricks used to make the island homes

Bidding farewell to our mamas at the port. Some of them were as young as 13yo... (but she had no children)

Unfortunately the return boat trip wasn`t as pleasant as the first one with much rougher seas. Lets just say I was thankful for the top deck and the horizon... which managed to save me from the bucket!

The visit to the floating reed islands of the Uros people on our way back to Puno was pretty cool... although it did have a very touristy feel to it.

According to our trip dossier... The Uros began their unusual floating existence centuries ago in an effort to isolate themselves from the Colla and Inca tribes. Today about 300 families live on the islands, however their numbers are slowly declining. The Totora reeds that grow in the shallows of the lake are used for making everything from the islands themselves to the model boats that the islanders sell. The islands are made up of layers upon layers of reeds; as the layers closest to the water start to rot, they are replaced with fresh reeds on top. The reeds are also used to build their boats, which if constructed well will last up to 6 months.

Just so you know I was really there... These islands really are floating and can actually be moved if the neighbours become unbearable!

The wall hanging I decided to buy...

One of the kids who entertained us!

The cooking facilities... Apparently there have been a number of fires which obviously can be devastating.

The boat made of the reeds that we went for a cruise in to the second reed island we visited!

Another cute kid...

We arrived back into Puno in the late afternoon after a picnic lunch on the boat and spent the rest of the day and night chilling out there.

Our bus bound for Cuzco departed the following day (Tuesday) at 8am.

Ciao for now,
Emm xx

2006-09-15T08:37:00.000-07:00

Day 97 & 98 (Thurs 14 & Fri 15 Sept 06) La Paz Bolivia

Yesterday marked our last day with Freddy and Julio... our Gap tour leaders who have been with us for the past 25 days and leave us here in La Paz so Shirley (who I am yet to meet) can take over and deliver us safely to Lima in Peru in 21 days or so. It also marked the end of the line for both Hugh and Fran... who leave us for a wedding and home respectively.

So on Freddy´s recommendation, our Gap group headed out to dinner at a Thai restaurant in the wealthy (expat) area of La Paz around 7pm and enjoyed a slightly more expensive meal with 2 courses and 2 cocktails coming in at just 100 bolis or $17 AUD. Interestingly the restaurant was owned by Freddy`s friend Alex who was also a Gap leader until a few years ago. Not a bad business to go into after Gap as you are probably guarenteed a crowd almost every night! Thankfully the food and drinks were also good as it was clear why Freddy liked it. Alex was hot... but straight and spoken for much to Freddy´s disappointment.

This was also our opportunity to serenade Freddy for his awesome efforts as our main leader and so we showered him with compliments, a thankyou cum birthday card (because it is his birthday in 4 days) as well as tips and a couple of copies of the pic of himself he liked (below). Without work clogging up my creative juices, I managed to pump out a little poem for him too. In response, Freddy performed one last recital of the Rocky Horror Picture Show lines Sher had taught him (and the rest of the group as a result). By the nature of his reaction, I think we hit the spot and he will never forgot us!

The pic I took of Freddy

After dinner Freddy, Julio, "Sugar" Daddy (Clive), Denny, Mari, Hugh, Sher and me continued on to Mongos, the bar come nightclub down the road from the restaurant, to party with the local Bolivianos as well as a few other foreigners. I hadn`t had a big night in a while so quite enjoyed the opportunity to let my hair down again. When we arrived around 10pm we were the only ones dancing... but by about midnight the relatively small dancefloor was heaving with punters. I ended up dancing on the tables with a local couple... entertaining a local business man sitting adjacent(quite the pervert)!

From left, Hugh, Sher, Freddy and me enjoying another cocktail (Mohito)

Just setting everyone straight!

And Hugh too... he is married with a baby on the way!

And Sher too... well sort of anyway!

Dancing on the tabletop! There wasn`t enough space afterall.

We left the bar around 1am and after arriving back to the hotel by taxi about 20 minutes later, Hugh and I decided we wanted to continue partying and attempted to head back out. Unfortunately for us we were advised by the hotel staff that it was´t particularly safe to do so... and so as a last resort, we decided to climb up to the roof top of the hotel (via a ladder and skylight) and star gaze while the alcohol wore off. We returned to our rooms an hour or so later, only to discover that I had been locked out of mine. When my attempts at knocking and phoning failed to wake Sher inside the room and I was unable to get my message across to the staff to get the door unlocked, I bunked in with Hugh for a few hours until Julio returned at 4am shocked to discover me in his room sleeping in his bed. He quickly managed to get the hotel staff to unlock my door... and all was well again! Oh what a night!

I missed Hugh`s early departure but managed to catch Fran, Freddy and Julio before they left. Life on tour just won`t be the same without them!

Today I am having a day off and kicking back in La Paz. Tomorrow we depart Bolivia for Peru... Puno I think. Lake Titicaca here we come.

I hope the sun is shining for you all.

Adios amigos,
Emm xxx

2006-09-14T14:35:00.000-07:00

Day 93 to 96 (Sun 10 to Thurs am 14 Sept 06): Uyuni Salt Flats to La Paz

On Wednesday afternoon around 5pm we arrived back into a town with internet access (Uyuni) after 4 days in the desert on a four wheel drive tour (from Sunday morning).

And what an awesome experience! Everyone has said this is a real highlight and I now understand why.

We had a troup of 3 vehicles with 3 drivers and a cook who I completely adored - Roxanne is only 20 years old but cooked up a storm at every meal and always served it with the most beautiful smiley. Check out her long black platts in the pic below.

Roxanne...

On the first day we visited the salt flats which are apparently one of the largest in the world. It is basically just flat and white as far as the eye can see with the occasional pile of salt and island of dirt, rocks and cactus plants. The Bolivians farm the salt but apparently the market has slumped in the last few years so it is no longer as profitable as it once was (and hence tourism is now the greater focus). We stopped at one island for lunch and trekked to the top to admire the views of the surrounding mountains while Roxanne prepared a feast of salad and illama for us (well llama for some of us anyway). We also had a couple of other stops that day, including a couple in little towns selling salt carvings and other tourist fodder and another at a hotel made of salt which is now a museum because of the environmental impact of having a hotel in the middle of the salt flats. To be honest, I would have gone insaine there anyway as there would be nothing to do other than eat, drink and take photos.

The following days we continued in a loop taking in the border of Chilli and witnessed some of the most exciting landscapes I have ever seen. Most of our stops were at coloured lagoons swamped with flamingoes and other birds. From memory I think we stopped at the blue, red, white, purple and green lagoons. The green one was one of my favourites as it actually changed colour before our eyes as the wind picked up and became a bright turquiose.

We have also seen loads of llamas over these few days... and I have to say that I have fallen in love with them. I think llamas are just adorable animals and would love one as a pet... I also can´t understand how they eat them but then again, I don`t eat meat so I guess that is not that strange.

On the third day we also stopped at some gysers (where there are craters, boiling mud and shooting steam) and swam in the thermal pool. This was another highlight as it was relatively cold out and the water was 30 plus degrees.

Swimming in the hot springs pool

Our accommodation has been really primative homestays with the last 2 nights in dorm style (6 or 7 to a room - girls and boys mainly because we didn`t want to have to put up with the snorers). The opportunity for showering was limited and after a luke warm shower the first morning, my next opportunity was a freezing cold one on the last day. I certainly knew I was alive.

Last night was brilliant... we stayed in a really small town and befriended some little kids who wouldn´t leave our side after we bought them some lollies and biscuits at the little store in the middle of the main street. They also got really excited when we asked to take their photos and kept asking to see the pictures on our digital cameras. They also insisted we took individual photos of each of them for which they posed. It is moments like this that really make a trip! I really like this one of them surrounding me...

Me and the kids from the town

We also had two of the girls from the group in the pic above ask if they could perform for us and after consulting with Freddy, we organised a pre dinner show for 7.30pm. They arrived in full costume with their teacher and instruments and played to us for about an hour. I was so impressed by their enthusiasm and made sure I showed them how much I appreciated it by singing along and dancing too. When they finished we presented them with some textbooks, pencils, pens and textas from the local shops as well as a bit of cash from those who didn`t contribute to the gifts. I think they really appreciated it even if the following day everyone was flying paper planes with the pages of the books! I also took 1000 pics which they just loved too!

Our homestay on our last night... with Sher and Sue showing off the gifts we bought for the kids (textbooks, pencils, textas, sharpners)

Our friends posing just after performing for us...

Today was our last day and after thinking it couldn´t get any better, it did. The scenary was just spectacular and our lunch spot unbelievably beautiful. Sher and I even managed a swim in the stream with a waterfall. Quite the Sports Illustrated location.

Our driver thinks this is shaped like North and South America...

Natural rock formations...

A canyon which a few of us scrambled down to arrive at the location pictured below

The canyon... just beautiful

Lying in the stream... inspired by Sher... this was heavenly!

Sunbaking at our picnic spot on our last day... who said it is cold in Bolivia and Uyuni!

We have been so blessed with the weather! Most people had told us the second night would be the coldest night of our lives... but with our thermals, 5 layers of clothing and 2 sleeping bags, we survived just fine. I think it is always just a matter of being prepared although I also think we were pretty lucky with a slight increase in the overnight temperature!

My only real frustration was having limited ability to charge up electrical things. There were only one or two plugs each night so we had to take it in turns to charge up the camera batteries. I was very glad I managed to maintain mine at each stop. But no Ipod!

Oh and the roads were also pretty bumpy and dusty but with Sher, Freddy and Hugh to entertain me (with their Ipods holding charge)... this was easily overlooked.

We arrived back to civilisation on Sunday about 5.30pm and waited around for the overnight bus which left at 8pm. We were suppose to be on a train from midnight but there was a strike and hence the train wouldn´t have left the station so instead Freddy organised a very basic bus for the 8 hour journey to a town about 4 hours from La Paz followed by a slightly more modern bus for that final leg of the journey. The first bus was really squishy and rattled the whole way but at the end of the day, I was kept warm by the close human contact and managed to sleep with the gentle rocking.

Of course when we arrived in La Paz it was a few hours earlier than expected and so we had to wait around for a few hours for our hotel rooms to be ready.

On face value, La Paz looks cool. I look forward to exploring the streets and markets... and of course the Coca Museum.

Bye for now,
Emm x

2006-09-08T01:17:00.000-07:00

Day 91 & 92 (Fri 8 & Sat 9 Sept 06): Potosi, Bolivia

So at about 4.15am on Friday morning I finally returned to bed (after spending about 2 hours on the internet) and managed 2 hours sleep before getting up again at around 7am. I had plans to head to the Sucre markets early to buy some thick stockings to help combat the cold in Potosi and Uyuni Salt Flats but knew I would be tight for time becase I also wanted to visit the Indigenous Art & Culture Musuem which opened at 8.30am and we needed to be back at the hotel by 9.30am.

As luck would have it the market stall wasn´t open so after waiting around for about 20 minutes (and finally asking someone), I discovered it probably wouldn´t open for a while so headed straight to the museum. As per Brendan´s recommendation, their display of the indigenous culture of Bolivia was excellent. The museum had about 8 rooms displaying their costumes, music and dance. The English guide book provided an insight into the life of various Boliviano tribes. It was also a holy day (celebrating the virgin´s birthday) so the staff were making offerings with a small fire in a terracotta pot. The smell of burning spices and garlic wafted throughout. The weaving demonstrations were also a highlight and I was disappointed I couldn´t stay longer to show my respects to the talented ladies and man. It was definitely worthy of more than a 45 minute visit but given our guide, Freddy, hadn´t told us about it on our first day (because he didn´t know it existed), I had not factored it in to my plans and thus only had this last minute opportunity. I have since rectified this problem by providing him with a copy of the brochure and instructions to visit it on his next trip.

The taxi ride from Sucre to Potosi was pretty uneventful and relatively quick (2.5 hours). My only issue was with the fact that we had 4 passengers squished in with all our luggage so my legs were pretty twisted and I was glad to straighten out when we arrived.

After cheking into our hotel we went on a quick orientation tour of the town with Freddy, past the markets and to the main plaza. Basically all the towns have a plaza and cathedral as a result of the Spanish.

Fortunately for me (and the 3 other veggies in our group), about 5 shops down from the hotel there was a little vegetarian restaurant which became my favourite hang out for lunches and dinner. It was awesome with delicous soups, curries and salads.

We spent the afternoon visiting the Potosi silver mines... the primary reason for visiting this mining town. And what an experience this visit proved to be! While I had heard from Brendan and others that this was an essential but really depressing experience... I don´t think anything could have truely prepared me for what we saw.

With our tour guide... a lady standing about 5 foot tall... we drove to the mine site via the miners markets, a street where the miners go to buy their daily supplies for work in the mine. The main items for sale include:
1) coca leaves which the miners chew with a catalyst of ash to increase mental altertness (so they can work for 20 hours straight in some cases), suppress hunger and suppress the need to pee etc,
2) bottles of 96% alcohol which they drink straight by the capful to numb the effects of working underground in appauling conditions for hours and days on end,
3) dynamite & gloves because the majority of them are freelancing and therefore must supply their own tools of the trade... making money on what they find rather than getting paid by the hour)
4) local cigarettes made of coca leaves and some other herbs (interestingly, very few people smoke in Bolivia apparently due to the cost of commerical cigarettes)
5) soft drink & lollies because everyone in Bolivia seems to have a sweet tooth and rotten teeth as a result.

We stopped at these markets to buy "gifts" for the miners (including soft drink, gloves and coca leaves) as well as a stick of dynamite (which our guide later blasted for us on a hillside opposite the miners cathedral as we stood watching from about 100m away in the blisteringly cold wind). We also had the opportunity to sniff the 96% alcohol and as a result, I can confirm that this substance was nothing short of vulgar... and no different to drinking metho as far as I´m concerned. Apparently they all drink it which is no surprise when you discover that it only costs about 10 bolivianos which is less than $2 per bottle. I am very glad we didn´t buy this as part of our gift... even if this is what all the miners seemed to want most. It has to be a major factor contributing to their shortened lifespan (the length of which seems to vary from 30 to 50 years depending on who you talk to).

Our guide preparing the dynamite

Can`t believe I got this shot as we were waiting for a good 3 or 4 minutes in the cold and when it finally went off most of the group was so startled they didn`t catch it

After dressing up in protective gear (which included a yellow rain jacket, enormous pants and a plastic "not so hard" hat with a battery charged light attached) we were delivered to the entrance of the section of the mine we were to visit. With no safety briefing, we entered the mine through a reasonably sized entrance splattered in llamas blood (for good luck of course). While initially it wasn´t so bad and we could walk with only minor crouching... it was quickly evident that the conditions are nothing short of primative and therefore terrifying. Sections of the mine obviously required them to crawl on their hands and knees... and lug heavy bags of rock on their backs. The miners we met along the way chatted to our guide and were more than happy to have their photos taken (although they often commented on how terrible they looked with their fat cheeks and blackened teetch from chewing on the coca leaves).

Having a go! Much harder than it looks.

One of the miners

The statue they worship inside the mines. If you can zoom in you will notice it is indeed masculine.

The most disturbing sight for me were the 2 young boys rolling around in the dirt as we drove out of the mine site. They were paraletic from drinking and looked like worms that had been sprayed with pesticide. The fact that children as young as 11 or 12 years are working down the mines just makes me want to cry. And the saddest thing, they probably know no different.

There is so much I could say about this but I find it too disturbing for words.

A truck load of miners heading to work

It was a very solem ride back to the hotel.

Unfortunately I had a headache after the taxi ride and mine visit... and by dinner time it had developed into a migraine. I think it was from a combination of a lack of sleep, a twisted back in the taxi, the altitude and the impact of visiting the mines. After attempting to eat dinner I retired and spent the next few hours in bed wanting to die. It was one of the ones where I feel nauseous but can´t throw up. No fun at all. I also didn´t have any strong pain killers on me so had to resort to just Neurofen. Thankfully I eventually fell asleep and by the time I woke up it was gone. Dreams were interesting.

The following lunchtime we departed Potosi on a local bus bound for Uyuni. This bus was shared with the locals including a couple of old men who stood up in the isle the whole way. My highlight was the little girl opposite pictured below. We arrived into Uyuni early evening and basically checked out the town, had dinner and left again...

If anyone is interested in adopting children, please don`t overlook a child from Bolivia.

Bye for now,
Emm xxx

2006-09-08T01:10:00.000-07:00

Day 90 (Thurs 6 sept 06): Sucre, Bolivia

Today I got up early and spent another hour wandering the food market before joining the mountaining biking crew at 9.30am. We were all given bikes and headed out of the city with our guide, a 21 yo local Engineering student, Charlie. We had quite a strenuous start with a few steep inclines... the first of which left me breathless and close to hyperventilating. I`m not sure if it is the altitude or the fact that I haven`t been running for over 2 months now.. possibly a combination of both. It almost killing Julio and Clive.

Our guide, Charley

Our first official stop (after a couple for gear adjustments and pumping up of flat tyres) was at the 1 week old dinosour park where they have created replicas and provide binoculas for views of dinosaur footprints. It was interesting but not something I would have done had it not been included in the tour.

One of the many dinosoars in the new park

From there we rode further away from the city and into the rural areas where the housing is quite primative mud brick structures. In addition to the local people, we passed goats, sheep, cattle, pigs, turkies, and dogs... all just wandering around freely.

After some challenging dirt roads and a narrow track (short cut), we arrived at a ranch like complex (apparently used for corporate junkets and the like) for a break and lunch before heading to the 7 waterfalls )our final destination). Turning up here was like something out of Survivor. We arrived to a table pre-set for us under a shade on the grass and had a waiter delivering our drinks and BBQ lunch. Quite a treat. And they catered for me with my own soy patties!

After lunch we drove a short distance before hiking for about 25 minutes to the waterfalls. Unfortunately due to it being the dry season there wasn´t much water around with the exception of the main waterhole into which you can jump if you so desire. Hugh was the only one prepared to take the leap and impressed us all with his bravery.

While we had the option to ride home again, everyone except our 55 yo fitness freak Denny preferred to ride the truck. We followed him and Charlie in the ute with Hugh and me on the back with the bikes, waving at the local kids and greeting them with "hola". They loved it. The kids are always a highlight for me... no matter the country. Generally speaking I am finding Bolivians quite shy... and very conservative.

We arrived back just before 6pm and after our free drink, I caught the end of a dance performance on the side of the main cathedral on the square. About 6 dancers dressed in black were hanging from the side and doing moves to music. This was followed by a live performance a few hours later which I checked out after dinner with the group at a very average and touristy place (every now and then we don´t get it right and tonight was one of those nights). When I stopped to watch the performance I started jumping around to the music with Sher and the locals... all standing stiff like cardboard... turned to look at us and started smiling. I think we became the main act over the band.

Acrobatics on the side of the cathedral

One of the many children I would love to take home with me. Isn´t she cute!

After 3 Mohitos I retired to bed only to wake at 12.30am. I haven´t been able to get back to sleep so here I am 2.5 hours later catching up on my blog and chatting to people on MSN.

Tomorrow we head to Potosi where we visit the silver mines. We have opted for the 2.5 hour taxi ride... a 20 boliviano ($3.50 AUD) upgrade from the local bus we are suppose to use. Freddy tells us the taxis shorten the trip by about 2 hours and are much more pleasant but do travel at fast speeds. Should be interesting.

Bye for now,
Emm xxx

2006-09-07T22:34:00.000-07:00

Day 88 to 89 (Tues 4 to Wed 5 sept 06): Santa Cruz & Sucre, Bolivia

On Tuesday morning we arrived into Santa Cruz around 9am after our 14 hour overnight ride on The Death Train from the Bolivian Border. According to the Lonely Planet, the same train in the opposite direction was (or is... can`t really tell) used to transport cocain from Santa Cruz to the Brazilian border and into America (so hence the name). In actual fact, the train was perfectly fine. No sleepers but 2 carriages of comfortable business class type seats and full service including meals (Sher and I passed on the chicken drumsticks and mixed the rice and salad with a tin of tuna left over from the Pantanal).

I managed to get a pretty good sleep from about midnight, waking around 5.30am or 6. Thankfully it was much warmer than our last overnight bus and I think I was still pretty tired from the hammock experience.

Santa Cruz is a pleasant Bolivian city and a good introduction to the country and its people. We checked into a really lovely hotel just a short walk to the main plaza and local markets and after wandering around the markets for a while, headed to the plaza for lunch. The plaza is really the centre of town and the place where the locals gather to chat with friends and enjoy the shady trees and tiled pathways. Sher, Freddy, Sue, Lynne and me found a rustic but mod cafe on one corner and we spent the next few hours drinking red wine and nibbling on olives.

After a rest and fix of Cable TV back at the hotel, Sher and I returned to the Plaza around 6pm and found a groovy bar cum restaurant above the cafe where we had lunch. Here we sat on the balcony and enjoyed a couple of Mohitos (rum with lime, sugar and mint) and shared an awesome salad with grilled veggies & goats cheese plus a crab meat and mango number... and all for less than 100 bolivianos (actually less than $15 AUD). And when the popcorn ("pipocca") cravings came, I spotted it in the basket of the local women gathering on the street below and Sher disappeared downstairs returning with 2 bags of it. This is the life! We also managed to catch the end of Mona Lisa Smile with Julia Roberts on Cable TV upon our return to the hotel. Oh the joy of Sth America and it´s preference for subtitling over dubbing (unlike Spain).

We departed our Santa Cruz hotel at about 8am the following morning, bound for the airport... and arrived in Surce at about 1pm (Wednesday) after just 30 minutes in the air.

After checking into our hotel here (Hotel Independencia just one block from the main Plaza... and centre of town), Freddy did his usual orientation briefing... taking us to the laundromat to wash our skanky Pantanal clothes and then through the plaza to the market area where they have everything from food to clothes and handicrafts.

It didn´t take long for us to locate our much loved corn and cheese combo in the food section of the markets (first tasted in Santa Cruz markets). The corn is a pale variety with huge chewy kernals and the cheese is a cottage type that the women kneed into patties and display on what looks like a grass nest. The trick is to mix the corn with the cheese in a plastic bag and eat it.

The cheese Sher and I took a fancy to

I love the "life" of local markets and could spend hours wandering around them watching how the local people go about their daily lives. But, this one would have to be one of my favourites... up their with the markets in Ubud in Bali and of course the Central Market in Adelaide. While this one is pretty grotty and muddled, there is distinct sense of order with specific areas dedicated to specific produce or products eg. potatoes (I have never seen so many varieties in one location), fruit and veg, cheeses, yoghurts, meats (sub-divided into sections according to type ie. beef, lamb, pork, goat, chicken, etc), grains & spices, sauces & pastes, and interestingly... a couple of cake stalls and a colourful jelly desserts stall. Occasionally I also stumbled across some items out of place... eg. the gutted baby goats (resembling the household cat) between the cheese ladies and the fruit and veg stalls. Upstairs there were 2 prepared meal sections serving up stews and other main course meals... the Bolivian version of a food court I guess... Unfortunately I wasn´t hungry. There were also a row of stalls downstairs serving up fruit juices.

The vegetables are always a highlight for me... so many colours and varieties.

The cake stall in the market

The potatoes...

The chicken lane...

The food market backed on to a shopping street where you could find just about anything in small shops resembling our $2 shops. I didn´t buy anything but enjoyed the atmosphere and chaos of it all.

We eventually had to leave to return to the hotel as we had an appointment with our new group members. As Freddy mentioned when we first met, 5 additional people met us in Sucre increasing the size of our Gap group to 10. Our group now includes:
1) Mari, a lovely 30ish yo Japanese girl who has lived in Canada and seems to have travelled quite extensively
2) Den(ika), a quiet 30ish yo Dutch girl (Indonesion parents) who now lives in NZ
3) Denny, another old bloke (55 yo French Canadian) who has a really odd but endearing sense of humour and is short of hearing... and is fast becoming a great companion and decoy for our Clive
4) Hugh, a 30 yo guy from NZ who is an Instructional Designer (designs training programs) and has left his freshly pregnant wife in NZ to spend a couple of weeks in Sth Amer... primarily for his brother`s wedding in Brazil... his brother is marrying a Bolivian model
5) Fran, a 55 yo Aussie mother of 2 from Nelsons Bay near Newcastle who has been travelling Sth Amer for 8 weeks already.

Hugh and Fran are only with us for 8 days... the rest through to Lima. I am sure Gap will deliver some more in La Paz.

We all had lunch together at The Joy Cafe... a Dutch run bar restaurant who served up a good veggie mediteranian tapas. Everyone seemed to get along so should be fun times ahead!

Julio, Hugh, Denny, Den, Clive and I also booked on to a mountain biking adventure for the following day.

After lunch a few of us headed off in search of sleeping bags and some warmer clothes. We managed to find the one camping store selling sleeping bags and after much deliberation, I bought myself a sleeping bag for $20 AUD. Basically I want something to wrap around my legs on the train and bus trips we still have ahead of us. It is pretty bad quality but I figure I can use it to line the ones I hire for the Salt Flats and the Inca Trail. My next challenge if to find a poncho I like that is actually made of alpacha.

That evening I had planned to have dinner at a vegetarian restaurant round the corner from the hotel and in the end most of the group joined me (excluding Sher, Clive, Julio and Fran). What was meant to be just a quick bite before an early night turned into an awesome experience. While the restaurant I was looking for no longer exisited, we found another one just down the road (Le German)... and opposite a gathering crowd of locals dressed up in all sorts of costumes and a brass band pumping out tunes. We think this was the meeting point for the start of a street parade but didn`t stop for long as food was our priority.

While the service was slow (which is typical of Bolivia because they tend to prepare everything from scratch), everyone was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. I really enjoyed my tofu and spinach curry and mixed juice lassi. But the highlight of the evening was definitely the Bolivian family that turned up and played traditional Bolivian music just for us.

Shortly after we sat down and ordered our meals, a man and his 3 children... 2 daughters (15 and 12 yo) and a son (19 yo) turned up in their traditional costumes with their instruments. While the father was clearly the driving force... and the kids looked like they were only there at their father`s insistance (ie. the son was standing about 1m from the others and was looking towards the door until I started smiling at him knowingly and he beamed back at me)... their performance was outstanding. The father, Pedro, played on his little guitar while the son played his wooden flute on the nod from dad, and the girls blew on their windpipes while shaking the bulls horn shakers and drumming on the cow hide. At one point, the father gave the youngest daughter the eye and she disappeared returning moments later with a rope which she then swung around as the 2 of them did a little dance. Their music has a real warmth about it and I could`t help but dance along.

When they finished the father introduced himself and spoke to us in Spanglish. I asked the children if they enjoyed it and they confirmed my assumptions. The boy was particularly funny, asking me if I spoke Spanish. Unfortunately he didn´t speak English but he did nod when Hugh tried to offer his a beer... using sign language to say he drank it but not while his father was around. The father insisted on getting the contract details of the 2 guys at our table, Denny and Hugh... including phone numbers and email addresses. The boys are looking forward to receiving the call.

The weather has been amazing here and not what we were expecting. Blue sky and a hot sun. I was in a t-shirt and was hot in my long pants. It does get cold at night... around 7pm.

Ciao for now,
Emm xxx

2006-09-04T13:18:00.000-07:00

Day 86 to 88 (Sat 2 to Mon 3 sept 06): Pantanal Brazil

We left Bonito on Saturday morning around 11am, bound for the Pantanal... the largest wetland in the world.

As I mentioned in my last blog, the Gap crew who had come from that direction had given us the heads up that our accommodation would be primative and grotty... that we would be freezing cold during the night in our hammocks... and that the food would be barely edible. I think sometimes it pays to go expecting the worst as in this case, the experience actually exceeded my expectations (mainly because they were so low to start with).

We travelled in a private mini-bus for about 5 hours mostly along dirt roads. Along the way we... 1) pushed through a herds of scrawny beef cattle being moved by a few latino cowboys on horseback (think Brokeback Mountain)
2) waited while a bogged truck blocking the road ahead was pulled out (a result of the thunderstorm on our last night in Bonito), and
3) passed a truckie who had fallen asleep at the wheel and ploughed his truck into a tree on the side of the road.

At the end of that journey we boarded the back of a 4-wheel drive truck for an hour long ride along a mashed up dirt road to the camp site. This would have been fine except for the fact that it started raining about 20 minutes in and the tray top had seats and a roof but no sides. We didn´t get drenched but lets just say we were pleased to reach the camp and dry our clothes and backpacks. I couldn´t stop laughing when I saw the campsite and it took me and Sher all of 2 minutes to locate the make-shift bar and order our first caiprihinia. At least it took the edge off. Dinner wasn´t far off... nor so bad... so after eating and meeting the other campers around the campfire.... I headed to bed for an early night.

Our bed for the next 2 nights was a hammock in a hut with a thatched roof and flyscreen from half way up the wall to the ceiling. It actually reminded me of my dad's pig sheds. The hammocks branched out from a pole in the centre of the hexagonal shaped hut to create a totum pole effect. We were each given 2 rugs... one for underneath us and the other for on top. Despite putting on my thermals, fleece, and jumping into my silk inner sheet, I was really cold and found it difficult to sleep... particularly given we had 2 snorers in our crew, Julio and Clive (who is also quite sick with the flu so has a horrible cough). I woke up at 1am disappointed it wasn´t morning and thankfully found a spare blanket in the empty hammock on my right. With 3 thick blankets and my ipod, I survived the night!

The following day we headed out around 8am and after driving for about 40 minutes, stopped on the side of the road for an hour or so of pirana fishing with bamboo rods and cow heart for bait. I managed to snag 5 fishes... but 2 had to be thrown back because they were too small. The others were cooked up for lunch... deep fried until they were crispy... and served with the usual rice and salad... plus deep fried banana.

Me with one of my fishes...

One of my pirana fish up close

Lunch!

The frustrating part of the fishing was the speed at which the bait disappeared off the hook. Most of my time was spent baiting it and casting it only to repeat the experience 2 seconds later.
After lunch we went horseriding in the wetlands and spotted a few of the native animals, a couple of wild boars and loads of birds. To be honest, I was expecting to see more wildlife but perhaps that has something to do with the fact that it is the dry season now.

Me and my horse!

The Pantanal landscape... a bit disappointing actually!

When Levy took us for a ride along the river in a speed boat this morning he explained that the water level is about 1.5 to 2 m below where it is in the wet season. Apparently the rain comes in October and just before that, the animals start travelling in search of new sources. He said that at that time you often see more wildlife including anacondas slithering along the ground.

I had a great time steering the boat.

At about 10am we left the campsite and returned to the main road on the back of the truck... getting a blown out tire along the way. We then switched to another mini-bus for a further 2 hour trip to the Bolivian border town. Here we got our exit stamp from the bus station on the Brazil side before heading to the boarder crossing where we got our Bolivian stamp and entrance papers. It was all pretty smooth.

We are now camped out at the Bolivian train station for 3 hours waiting for our night train and of course, we couldn´t help but pass time on the internet.

I arrive in Santa Cruz Bolivia tomorrow morning where we will finally get a shower (because the pantanal showers were freezing cold and noone was game). My head is starting to itch and while I have taken a "sponge bath"... I can´t wait to get really clean.

From Santa Cruz we fly to Sucre.

Ciao for now,
Emm xxx

2006-09-01T16:55:00.000-07:00

Day 85 (Fri 1 Sept 06): Bonito

Can´t believe it is September now. On the 7th, I will have been travelling 3 months! This also means I will be home in 3 months... eeek! So much to see before 7 December.

Today I got up really early because we had a time change of 1 hour when we arrived in Bonito. I took the opportunity to check out the main street and see what the locals get up to. I love it when you have the chance to see people going about their day. Most people were just chilling out on chairs outside their shops sipping matte (tea). Very cruisy.

Around 10.45am I decided to join the other Gap tour group again as they had decided to do a day trip to some waterfalls for a hiking and swimming experience with "Now". I was like the adoptee as this group has been travelling together for about 4 weeks and is well formed. It went something like this:
1) The Americans: Brian, Bob and Christina (who were about 26 yo and went to school together)
2) The Germans: Lucia, Felix and Ute (Ute was the 53 yo mother of Lucia 23 yo & Felix 19 yo)
3) The Aussies: Kelly and Steve (from Perth but living in Dublin for past 2 years & on their way home).
Their Gap leader, Alex, decided to stay behind to complete the paperwork.

We left the hotel at 11am and drove for about 30 minutes to another private ranch where we enjoyed a buffet lunch before heading off to the first watering hole. This place was similar to the one we visited yesterday and again I had a fantastic time. We walked and swam for about 3 hours visiting a number of different sites as we did a loop of the area.

At one of the watering holes we had the opportunity to jump off a wooden tower so after a few words of encouragement from "Now" and the others, I plucked up the courage and made the leap a couple of times. It was such a great adrenalin rush!

An action shot... believe it or not but this is me shooting feet first into the water. The platform is about 1.5cm from the top right corner of the photo.

Further along the trip included rowing an aluminium boat along the river and then after another walk and swim, back again. It was another cool experience to add to the list.

I think I am starting to look like a human again after so many stressed out years of working!

My boat crew! Brian, Felix and Bob (closest to furthest away)

"Now" rowing the boat while Ute (the yummy mummy) takes a pic! You can also so Kelly´s back and a bit of Steve´s head

Overall this was another great day in beautiful Bonito!

At 6pm I waved goodbye to my new friends from the other Gap group as they headed off in the direction we have come from.

Tomorrow we leave at 9.30am bound for the Pantanal.

I´m looking forward to the horseback riding but not the food or hammock beds. The other group has informed us that it is really bad (and Freddy also). Sometimes Gap seems to make crappy decisions about who they contract with... and other times good ones. At least we know to pack the tins of tuna and beans. Sher and I have it sussed.

Enjoying the falls at the last stop for the day!

Bye for now,
Emm xxxx

2006-09-01T07:18:00.000-07:00

Day 84 (Thurs 31 Aug 06): Bonito

Over breakfast yesterday Sher and I got chatting to Steve and Kelly, a couple from Perth on a Gap tour heading in the opposite direction, and after hearing about their plans for the day, decided to join their tour group on an all day excursion to snorkel down a river.

So we dumped our bags, had a quick shower and jumped into the van with their group and guide, Alex.

The tour included a visit to see red macaws in their natural habitat and a 2 hour snorkelling experience. Check out the tour company´s website for more info: http://www.riodaprata.com.br/index_english.php.

Our guide (pronounced "Now") took us in a mini-bus to a private ranch about 60 minutes out of town and after getting kitted up with springsuits, booties, mask and snorkels, we walked for about 30 minutes through the nature reserve to the river where we commenced our 2 hour snorkelling experience.

It is so hard to find the words to describe this incredible experience. It was just magical! We floated down a river like a piece of driftwood in virtual silence while taking in the sites of the river bed and animal life. Without a doubt, this is my favourite adventure experience to date!!!

These are shots I have copied from the website because I didn´t have an underwater camera on me... but this is actually what it was like!

We entered the water at a bend in the river and after a brief orientation, snorkelled around a large pond like area on the right for about 15 minutes... and at this point, a few of us were fortunate to see an anaconda (= enormous snake) under a ledge of tree branches to the side of the riverbank. Yes, a 4 m anacaonda under the water. We could even see the buldge where it was storing its lunch (about the size of a human skull). Thankfully this snake was more concerned about us than we were about it and it slithered away... but not before half of the group got a good look at it.

Not the one we saw... but wanted to give you some idea of what I am talking about for those not familiar with anacondas

We then began our tour down stream... floating along the surface of the river with the current. If you´re having trouble visualising it, think back to childhood when you floated twigs down the drains on the side of the street. I really did feel like a piece of driftwood floating downstream.

The only rules... no kicking and no touching the bottom (because it muddies the waters and impacts the ecosystem).

While I normally prefer scuba over snorkelling, in this instance I was blown away by the snorkelling experience.

We snorkelled through rapids (like a waterslide) and over and under fallen tree trunks... with some points being so shallow that my stomach was almost touching the bottom. From time to time the bottom was like a grassy knoll which was pretty cool. It was also interesting to see the fallen leaves and palm tree branches and schools of various varieties of fishes.

If you ever make it to Brazil, definitely include a side trip to Bonito to experience the wonders this town has to offer. It is an adventurer´s paradise and this was only one of many alternatives.
When we reached the end of the river it merged with another and we lost the current. It also became noticibly colder in the water. We were given the choice to either swim or take a boat for the remaining 700 m to the landing so I opted for the exercise. Along the way we sighted a monkey in the trees on the river bank which was a cool way to end a fantastic day! We were greeted by a van with our belongings... and returned to the ranch for a well earned lunch/dinner buffet and caiprihinias (the common theme in Brazil).

Someone else´s pic of what it is like under the water of the river we were snorkelling in

With the experience still fresh in our minds we enjoyed several more caiprihinias back at the hotel before heading out to the main pub (only pub) in the town for some snacks, more caiprihinias and grooving to some seriously bad tunes. Sher was keen for a party with the locals but unfortunately there wasn´t a whole lot going on in this town of 18,000. Basically our group was making the party by picking songs and singing them as loudly as we could. She also managed to score some popcorn (not on the menu) and I hooked in to some polenta chips (yum!). Our table kept growing as more people turned up to join our party and at some point, everyone returned to our hotel where they continued partying while I retired to bed (having had my share of fun!).

This is another part of the world I am so pleased I have had the opportunity to visit. Bonito = Beautiful in Portugese... and this is very true!!!

Bye for now,
Emm xxx

2006-09-01T05:39:00.000-07:00

Day 83 (Wed 30 Aug 06): Iguassu Argentine side

Thought I would throw in a couple of pics from Tuesday... taken from the Brazilian side of the falls. This side offers a much better view of the surrounding scenary... and panoramic photo opportunities.

And one of the dam from the morning excursion

Despite being ready for bed when we returned to the hotel that afternoon, I left Sher in our ice box hotel room around 8pm (with both the shower and the aircon malfunctioning despite 3 attempts to fix them). She was sipping her room service Cairprihina under 3 rugs while watching TV and attempting to order Japanese over the phone in Spanglish. I don´t think this little hotel quite knew what had hit it.

I joined Freddy, Julio (trainee guide), Lynne and Clive for a dinner and dance performance at a venue in town... drawn in by the opportunity to see a variety of Latino dances in one show including Tango, Peruvian, Mexicano, Samba, etc. The boys doing their Brazilian martial arts (capoeira) were really impressive with their washboard stomaches and acrobatics (reminding me of my days of gymnastics). I was also impressed by the Samba girls... both their costumes and their bodies. Unfortunately I forgot to take my camera so I had to kidnap Lynnes and now need to wait for the pics.

The following day (Wednesday) we were up early to visit the Iguassu falls from the Argentine side which included a boat ride down the Iguassu river and a train ride to a boardwalk that takes you really close to the main waterfalls. While it was an incredible site and nothing like i have ever seen before, I wasn´t blown away (probably because the falls are at 20% capacity). I really enjoyed the spray that comes off the falls and onto your face... really refreshing. This trip took the whole day.

Sher and me doing what we do best...!

The falls... from the Argentine side

Check out the rainbow

Just to give you some idea of how close you get on the Argentine side...

The view from the Argentine side falls

My Gap Group posing for our first group photo. From left, Clive, me, Sher, Freddy (back), Sue (front) and Lynne (standing)

Sher looking hot with a borrowed hot on the train to the falls.

That night we left the hotel at 5.30pm and travelled overnight by bus from Iguassu to Bonito (14.5 hours in total with 3 bus changes). Unfortunately the bus wasn´t anything like our first Executive class overnight bus and sleeping was much more of a challenge as a result! While the seats were totally fine, they didn´t provide blankets and left the aircon on so we all froze. No wonder local passengers boarded with their doonas and pillows.

When we stopped at 11.30pm Sher and I went in search of vino and popcorn and after being told it was not possible... Sher persevered and we were eventually blessed with our desires. The owner of the only restaurant in the bus station pulled out a coke bottle filled with a purple liquid (red wine) from behind the counter and sold it to us for $4 reals ($2.50 AUD). I think we were the evening entertainment as everyone was laughing "with" us. We also found microwave popcorn at another little store close by.

So with our plastic cups of wine and pop corn in hand, we returned to wait for the bus. The wine tasted like fermented grape juice but this didn´t stop us. Sher proceeded to flirt with one of the boys loading our bagging... and with dutch courage, even asked him for a kiss. Think this goes down as one of the most entertaining transit stopovers.

Vino in a coke bottle

We could´t pay anyone else to drink it!

We arrived into Bonito at 8am and tucked into the buffet breakfast at the hotel. Famished!

Bye for now,
Emm xxx

2006-08-29T13:44:00.000-07:00

Day 81 & 82 (Mon 28 & Tues 29 Aug 06)

Yesterday we left Curitiba at around 8am and took an all day bus to Foz Du Iguaçu... the town on the Brazilian side of the falls, arriving into our hotel around 7pm.

It was a long day... but broken up by a stop for lunch and a movie (in English).

In Brazil lunch is usually a self-service buffet where you help yourself to rice, beans and meat or fish with sides of vegetables and salad. Suits me to a tee but nothing gourmet.

Today we visited the biggest water-power plant in the world, Ituapu... followed by the Iguassu (Big Water) Falls on the Brazilian side.

While we have been told that it is not as impressive as it normally would be due to low rainfall, I was suitably impressed.

In the afternoon we drove across the border into Paraquay for shopping. I just bought another memory card for my camera because I could get 1 gb for $40 AUD which is much better than home.

Tomorrow we visit the falls from the Argentine side and then take a night bus to Bonito where we can apparently scuba and snorkel.

Bye for now.

Emm xx

2006-08-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

Day 77 to 80 (Thurs 24 to Sun 27 Aug 06): Isla Grande Brazil

On Wednesday morning we departed Rio at 11.30am bound for Isla Grande one of Brazil´s spectacular resort islands.

We travelled in a private mini-bus for 2 hours to a port town where we boarded a boat for a 2.5 hour trip to the port of Isla Grande.

This island is paradise and possibly my favourite of all the islands I have visited so far in my travels (including my earlier trips to Asia).

Sher and I bunked in together and spent the nights eating sushi, drinking caiprihinas and partying with the locals. We also made friends with a lovely German girl called Anka and a couple of people from the 2 other Gap groups who were also staying at our hotel (but heading in the opposite direction to us ie. to Rio from Lima). They were all at the end of their 6.5 weeks and it was cool to hear about the places we´re about to visit. We particularly enjoyed the company of Martin, Matt and Tim... and the other Gap guides, Sonia and Terry from Peru.

Our hotel... where Sher and I shared one of the double rooms upstairs (first room on the right)

After sushi and a few drinks on the Wednesday night, we checked out the only 2 bars in the main street and gathered a bit of a crew at the main one on the corner before heading to bed reasonably early in preparation for our Gap boat tour the following morning. The Gap guides organised an all day boat tour with lunch and all the Caiprihinias we could drink.

By 11am Sher and I had taken prime sunbaking position up the front of the boat and were well on our way to a big day.

Some of the local talent on the wharf... this guy was babysitting his boss´little boy. We met him at the bar later that night and found out he studies tourism and speaks English really well. Cute kid!

Sometime around 12noon we stopped for a swim at the blue lagoon and the boat crew started up the barbie on the side of the boat in preparation for lunch. Sher and I had been expecting some fish so when we didn´t see any, we let the boys know and Terry, one of the other guides, made up a fishing line and caught a few fish (which were all too small to eat but it was such a good laugh). Out of our group of 5, three of us don´t eat meat - Lynne, Sher and me... I think it will drive Clive crazy.

They put on a great spread of salads for lunch so having no meat or fish wasn´t really an issue. Just had the opportunity to line the stomach.

After lunch is a bit of a blur and I discovered most of what went on through other people rather than my own memory. At some point I dived off the boat and hit my head on the bottom (which I do remember doing but only now... when someone told me and it´s 2 days later). So... I think I may have suffered concussion. The only question I have is whether things before it were a blur also.

Taking a break after a swim at the first stop... I do remember this!

The coconut dude

I couldn´t resist the coconut dude... someone had to buy one!

William from the boat crew making caiprihinias

Freddy (our guide) with Sher (my roomie)

The boat owner and captain come pin-up-boy, Nato (one for the girls... and yes, he will be there if you visit because he has a 2yo daughter to care for)

I basically found myself waking up in my bed around 7pm that night and couldn´t recall getting off the boat nor getting to the hotel... but I got up, had a shower, went out again and kept on drinking until 4am in the morning. It´s amazing what a slice of pizza, some popcorn and a couple of red bulls with vodka can do for you. Not to mention the banana dakaries at the cocktail bar where I hung out with 2 lovely local girls.

It was the next day that I woke up at 8am feeling nauseous and noticed that I had a sore neck and back. Over breakfast Lynne told me I had been doing cartwheels and handstands on the beach so I just put it down to that.

Unfortunately I´d committed to doing the 2 hour walk to the "most beautiful beach in Brazil" and at 10am, found myself treking up and down 2 mountains to get to Lopez Mensez... The 40 minute boat trip would have probably been the better option for me but then again, I did have to stop 3 times and I wasn´t sea sick! It was an awesome walk best done without a hangover!

When we finally arrived we were rewarded by a beautiful surf beach and a party of about 20 of the Gappers to hang with (who had opted for the passive arrival method of boat). We swam, sun baked, caught up on the goss from the boat trip the previous day and walked the beach.

Later in the day one of the guys we´d met at the bar the previous night (Max) came out of the water with a surf board and after chatting for a while, I asked if I could borrow it. So... I surfed in Brazil and thanks to Sher even have a pic to prove it. Max is a 33yo Brazilian Engineer who lives in Rio with his Danish wife (due to give birth in November). He was holidaying on the island with his 2 high school mates after getting a leave pass and borrowing his dad´s yaught. And when he offered me a ride back on his boat... I took him up on it... leaving the others to Captain Nato. How cool is that?!?! I have now surfed and sailed in Brazil.

Our only issue was that his dingy was stolen while they were sleeping the previous night so when we got into the port, we had to wait around while Nato loaned Max a small leaky row boat. Then Max had to row me in and row back out again.

Sher, Anka and I had sushi again and then joined the others at the bar for our last night out with the crew. Max and his mates joined us later and we a bunch of us visited a local gathering at the local school where families were dancing. Max and his mates took it turns to try to teach me a local dance but all failed because when it comes to one-on-one dancing, I am a complete kook. Lucky for me they had Sher who was awesome (having a dance studio and all).

Enjoying sushi with the girls on Friday night... Anka and Sher. The guy who makes the sushi is Brazilian... He married a Japanese girl who later left him to return to Rio. He learnt how to make sushi at a cooking school in Rio and imports it from Chile. It was awesome sushi.

Some of the gang at the bar on the corner... from left... a local, Clive, Matt, Martin and me.

The locals dressed up and dancing at the party at the local school

I can never resist touching an afro! I met this guy the night we were out partying and asked him for a pic the following night. He was stoked and wants me to send it to him.

I was in bed by about 1am from memory after only a couple of drinks because I still wasn´t feeling 100%.

We left the island by boat around 11am on Saturday and returned to Rio on a mini-bus again for a 3 hour stop over before taking an overnight Executive Bus to this town (Curitiba). There´s nothing much to do here but it breaks up the strip between Rio and Iguazu Falls. I have a room to myself because Sher decided to stay on the island for 2 more nights and fly to the falls where she will join us again. I would have loved to have done the same but I need to be a little careful with my funds and also wanted to stick with the group.

I definitely hope I can return to both Rio and Isla Grande again sometime soon.

Bye for now,
Emm xxx

2006-08-23T06:47:00.000-07:00

Day 75 & 76 (Tues 22 & Wed 23 Aug 06): Rio - Gap Tour Day 1 & 2

So on Tues 22 Aug I moved out of my Ipanema hostel and into Hotel Santa Clara in Copacabana... the hotel that Gap books for the commencement of the `Southern Cross´ tour. The idea is that you check into the hotel any time that day and there will be a note and time to meet up with the tour leader and group that evening. The note confirmed a 6.30pm meeting with Freddy for our group.

Alicia joined me for the excursion to the hotel as we had planned a visit to the Christ and Sugar Loaf after I had dumped my bags - the 2 sites in Rio offering panaramic views of the city. We also ended up bumping into my Gap roomie, 18yo Lynne Rose, who arrived about 15 minutes after I did... and so the 3 of us set out together, sharing a cab.

While we´d been holding out for a clear day, we were leaving Rio early the following day so it was a case of now or never. Thankfully, the rain held out and the views of the city were still amazing despite the clouds.

Our first stop was the Christ du Corcovado... the impressive statue with spectacular views of Rio and Sugar Loaf.

The famous Christ statue on a cloudy day in Rio

Me being a typical gringo tourist... although we had Alicia´s scarf and the others didn´t!

And the view from behind

The view of Sugar Loaf from the Christ

...And the one you might see on a postcard care of google images

From there the cab driver took us to the Sugar Loaf (Pão de Açúcar) where there´s 2 cable car rides taking you from the base to the first peak and then the second peak... for what I consider even better views of Rio including back towards the Christ. We were also fortunate to be there from 5 to 6pm so we caught the sunset and managed to snap a couple of pretty special shots.

Returning on the cable car around 6pm

Sunset from Sugar Loaf looking towards Christ

Botafago and Copacobana Beaches (I think)

We returned to Copa just in time for me to pick up my washing and join our tour group at the hotel for our first meeting.

My Gap tour leader´s name is Freddy and at this point I can´t tell you where he´s from other than to say he´s Latino. He´s also obviously gay (which I have no problem with of course!). He wants us to guess where he´s from and it´s not Brazil nor Chile (my first guess).

On first impressions, I´m not sure what he will be like. He describe his role as getting us from point A to point B safely and if we have fun too then that´s a bonus. Not sure if this was the message he wanted to get across because I suspect he has a quirky sense of humour. He also said he´s not a tour guide but rather more of a trip facilitator because he cannot operate as a guide according to the law in Brazil.

Unfortunately he was also unable to tell us where to eat dinner and said he couldn´t join us... so I lead the group to the kilogram buffet place just down the road (where Alicia had taken Lynne and me for lunch).

What Freddy did do well was explain what we would be doing for the next 3 weeks (which is the period for which he will be travelling with our group because apparently Gap doesn´t like one leader to do more than 3 weeks with any one group and our tour is for 6.5 weeks). He also handed out a detailed plan of where we will be going and when.

As for the group... there are only 5 of us:
1) Lynne, an 18yo girl from London who has just finished her final year of school and is 10 days into a 12 month trip travelling the world on her own. She seems lovely (and doesn´t snore!!) but has mentioned that she has had a therapist for about 5 years and has suffered from both anorexia and bulimia.
2) Clive, a retired 60+ yo salesman/business owner from England who is looking for his Shangrila because he thinks his country is going to the dogs because of its loose immigration policies. He said he´s not racist but if they continue letting more people in him and his friends will definitely be leaving.
3) Sue, a 26 yo girl from Melbourne who quit her job in admin at Melb Uni upon completing her Masters (post a Science Degree majoring in Geology). When our 5th group member hadn´t checked in, Sue complained about the possibility of her room mate arriving at 3am. I think she may be a little precious but only time will tell.
4) And Sher... a 33 yo party girl from Woolongong who split up with her childhood sweetheart and husband of 9 years about 2 years ago and decided to travel the world. Her ex worked for Qantas as an Engineer and trainee pilot and together they run her dance studio, Sher´s Studio. She has only just come off the Qantas travel benefits.

Sue is defintely not the life of the party... and Lynne is pretty quiet... so I´m thankful for Sher´s company and her party spirit... She arrived at 8.30am on the 23rd after sticking around her hostel for a final night of partying. I heard her checking in outside our room and invited her to leave her stuff in our room rather than disturb Sue (who it turns out was already up anyway)!

Our group will be joined by a trainee guide from peru in a few days (once his visas come through). They will both leave us in La Paz (Bolivia) where we will get a new Guide through to Lima in Peru.

I think this is the beginning of a really awesome experience and look forward to keeping you posted as often as I can.

We leave for Isla Grande today... a 2 hour bus and 2 hour boat ride from Rio.

Ciao for now,
Emm xxx

2006-08-21T15:20:00.000-07:00

Day 74 (Mon 21 Aug 06): Rio

In case you´re tempted by my review of Rio, I want to recommend the HI hostel I´m staying in - Che Legarto, Ipanema. They have a great pad just 2 blocks from the centre of Ipanema Beach with modern clean air-conditioned rooms (singles, doubles and dorms) and a bar on the street level so you can easily meet other travellers (which is really important for a hostel). Basically it´s impossible not to meet people and have a fantastic time. They also organise tours and have a pick up from the hostel. Check out their website -http://www.chelagarto.com/flash/brasil/ipanema/index.htm.

The hostel bar before the crowds hit

My dorm & bunk (top closest to you).

While I´m on the subject... I would definitely choose to stay in Ipanema or Leblon over Copacabana or Botafago as it´s much safer. All the stories I heard from other travellers about bag snatching, knife hold-ups and pick-pocketing came from Copa. I also preferred the shopping street and the Ipanema/Leblon beach.

Ipanema Beach

Ipanema Beach lookings towards Leblon

Snap of me on Copacabana Beach (actually taken on Wed 23 Aug... the day I was leaving... because sky was finally blue)

As for last night´s Funk Party in the favela... well it blew my mind away and thankfully not my brains (which my local friend Israel from the hostel tells me can easily happen in the favelas... but rarely without reason)!

Our guide from the tour company Bealocal (http://www.bealocal.com/) - also the company that organised the tour to the football game at Maracana - picked 5 of us up from our hostel around 11.30pm and drove us to the venue in a favela about 45 minutes from Ipanema stopping on the way to join up with the 5 or 6 vans full of ´gringos´ (tourists)... mostly 21-23 yo English gals and guys... for our pre-party briefing.

We were given wrist bands and told that we would be escorted inside the venue and directed to a VIP area upstairs where we could buy cans of beer for $1 BRL (60c) and get a good view the dance floor. He also explained that we could join the party downstairs so long as we returned to the VIP area by 4pm. It was made clear that there would be drugs around but if anyone from the group got involved... their party would be over.

As we stepped out of the van and onto the street to enter the club I felt like I was an extra on the set of a movie rather than a foreigner entering a warehouse party in a slum area of Rio ruled by drug lords. I was frisked on the way in by a women while the 3 massive security guards smiled at me while frisking local men.

Once inside, we were quickly swalled up by the crowd of about 3000 local people gearing up for a night of drinking and dancing to the funky tunes pumped out by the local DJs. I followed our group upstairs to the VIP area... had my first beer (chasing a redbull and guarana drink that my hostel roomie Alicia and I downed at the briefing stop so we wouldn´t fall asleep - Alicia and I met at the football game on Friday night and we have been hanging out ever since)... and began to take it all in.

The venue was apparently featured in the movie City of God and is basically a huge warehouse with the dj stage at one end, a main bar along the side and the 2 VIP areas upstairs. The below photo featured on the tour company´s website shows the view from the upstairs VIP area our tour group was assigned. It gave us fantastic views of the whole party as well as the stage (where the light is coming from).

Unfortunately we were instructed not to take our own pics (which is completely understandable).

The local crowd was a real mix both in terms of age and appearance. There were kids as young as 15 or 16 yo and some really hard core guys who were probably more like 35 or 40. The girls were generally dressed in super tight jeans or mini skirts with low cut lycra tops and on the whole were pretty damn sexy. But not surprisingly... it was the hot looking brazilian men dancing with their tops off that caught my attention. There were 3 guys in particular who drew everyone´s attention. They looked like they were the backup dancers for The Backstreet Boys... dancing in time with one another.

It didn´t take long for us to leave the VIP area and venture downstairs and as soon as we did, I was grabbed by a local guy who went in for a pash taking my face in his hands. Thankfully his mates pulled him off me before he made contact so managed to dodge his affections and realise he was totally wasted. I found out later that this happened to Alicia too. We continued through the crowd to shake it with the locals.

By the end of the night I was familiar with the local attention and accepted that I would be gropped as I passed them. The conversation generally started with "Hi, What´s your name? Do you have a boyfriend? Is he here tonight with you?".

Around 2.30pm they had a dance off on the stage with about 4 guys and 4 girls taking it in turns to shake their booty before pairing up for some partner work. The group included one English girl from one of the other hostels... and while she held her own... it confirmed that latinos are much better dancers! I was escorted downstairs by this incredibly tall local guy who must have been well known because everyone was grinning at him as he

I also spent quite a bit of the night chatting to Israel, the 21 yo Brazilian lad from a favela who works in the hostel in the evenings (travelling about 1.5 hours by public transport each way). Among other things, he was telling me about how he has seen 2 of his friends get shot in his favela and confirmed that generally people are shot for a reason (ie. revenge). Apparently one guy was recently shot dead by the cops during a hock (car jacking)... He went on to explain that this is how most of his friends make a living. To avoid this lifestyle, Israel taught himself English from subtitles on TV and videogames securing a job with the hostel in Ipanema which is run by an English woman. He still lives with his mum and his sister in the favela and hopes one day he can live in another country.

It was facinating to hear how Israel views his mum and sister. He sees his role to provide for them and protect them... and gives half of his $400 BRL per month salary to his mum to pay the rent (about $200 BRL). He also said he was taken by the police one time when he started laying into another guy for slapping his sister. He said he wanted to kill him and by the way he was describing it, i believed him. Turns out his father asked him why the guy wasn´t dead.

Today Israel came to work looking pretty unhappy and when I asked what was wrong, he told me another friend was shot (twice) on the steets near his home as he was walking and is now in hospital. He doesn´t know exactly why he was shot yet but he said he will find out within the next 24 hours. He thinks he might have been trying to buy some weed.

This is the life that kids lead in the favela!

Til next time,
Emm xxx

2006-08-21T13:15:00.000-07:00

Visiting the Favela: Rocinha (Mon 21 Aug 06)

Alicia and I decided to join the Bealocal guided tour of Rocinha, Rio´s largest favela (slum) as we had heard from others that it was a really fantastic opportunity to see another side of Rio.

As stated on the website, the tour seeks to: "bring you into the root of the Favela community, to provide you with an insight into the vibrant spirit of its people, to allow you to interact freely with the local population."

We joined a couple of Irish lads from our hostel at 2pm and were loaded into a taxi and taken to the edge of the favela where we met up with our guide and the rest of our favela tour group (about 7 to 10 from memory). Our guide immediately put us at ease about our safety... explaining that we would actually be safer on the tour than on Copacabana beach because the locals don´t want any reason for the police to come into their neighborhood. She also explained that we could take photos except of people holding guns because if the police stopped us and found gringos with pictures of guns, they probably wouldn´t be able to continue to run their tours.

We learned that Rocinha has a population of approximately 200,000 people, although it is difficult to be accurate with this figure because a lot of people don´t have documentation and therefore don´t officially don´t exist... and it is managed by the gang known as "Amigos for Amigos" (Friends of Friends), one of 3 gangs running Rio. ADA is apparently the most powerful and wealthiest of the 3 gangs... although it is not the biggest. There are a total of about 300 managers looking after the streets and gang warfare is generally a consequence of one gang trying to take over a street or barrio belonging to another.

We commenced our tour with the locals taking us on the back of their motorbike taxis from the edge of the Favela up to the brim of its basin, overlooking the city. For me it was a pretty cruisy ride having been on the back of bikes in Bali (and other Asian cities)... but for others in the group who hadn´t had such experiences, I think it might have been a bit hairy.

And this is where we began the 1 hour walk down through the narrow alleyways of the favela back to where we started.

There are a number of interesting things about life in Brazil and the first is that Brazilians apparently don´t like to pay for anything. This includes electricity, gas, phone, water and more recently internet. As a consequence of this, there are a number of sites such as the one pictured below in the streets of the favelas and inside the favela... water, internet, etc are free.

Our first stop was a local art studio where we met 2 of the 3 local artists exhibiting their work. Known as the 'Culture Project' (Casa de Cultura), this studio aims to bring tourists into the world of local artists creating works which represent the local spirit, history and culture. The artists are also responsible for teaching local children how to paint.

The view from the roof of the art studio

Our next stop was a local store where we chatted to the owner and bought some cakes and drinks. We also sampled the local spirit which smelled like metho and left a burning feeling in my mouth.

The local store

Buns filled with dolce de leche (caramel)

Following on from this we wandered past 2 local schools where the children had stalls set up outside to sell us their hand made crafts and paintings. I bought a bracelet because our guide explained that they are trying to teach the children to do something for money as opposed to just begging for it. I also took lots of pictures because she explained that the children love to have their photos taken because they think that they might be famous one day if they do. Whenever I took a pic they would immediately run up and ask to see it. I absolutely loved the kids.

When the boy in blue moved away I asked the little one in white if I could take his pic and when I sat next to him, he popped his arms back out of his t-shirt and gave me the biggest hug which we snapped below

My favourite picture of my trip thus far...

I asked him to smile and he kept pulling faces... so cheaky

What a charmer...

Another little fella... who was not quite as confident

And our last stop was the Daycare Centre where they currenhave 50 places for children with parents who are working or looking for work. Local and multinational companies have joined forces to provide a place for the education and development of the young population of the Favelas and they provide psychologists and other support services.

By this stage it was 5pm so most of the children had already been picked up and some had passed us on their way home.

Alicia with one of the little ones

How´s those eyes...

It was also reassuring to learn that 60% of the fee we paid for the tour went to this centre and was helping to build 2 more stories and spaces for 20 more kids.

If you have some spare time on your hands... they´re apparently looking for volunteers. What a rewarding experience this would be and how cool to hang out in Rio while you do it.

The view from the top of the Childcare Centre

As we were leaving the Childcare Centre the guide spotted a guy wandering along the path below with a huge gun on this back and pointed him out to me. I guess it was a bit like seeing a shark on a scuba dive. You really want to see one but only if it doesn´t eat you.

We also had a chat to a couple of teenagers and passed through the street where they sell the drugs. At this stage we were asked to take no more photos for obvious reasons. We were also told that a girl had taken a photo behind her back the previous week and was seen by one of the managers and that was the last she saw of her camera. Fair enough I say.

There were many other stories that I will share over a drink when I return home.

Enjoy your life!

Ciao for now,
Emm xxx

2006-08-20T16:41:00.000-07:00

Day 73 (Sun 20 Aug 06): Rio

I am having the time of my life! This is one awesome place that I would recommend to everyone who loves what Bondi has to offer... sun, surf, friendly people, hot men PLUS outstanding mountain scenary. It´s been raining today and overcast so no bikini action but it´s fun all the same.

Last night I went to see a football game in a Favela (slum area) as part of an organised tour through the hostel. The local Rio team Flamencos (1 of 4 apparently) were playing the team from Sau Paulo. We were escorted through the crowd to seats amongst the Flamencos fans and our escorts kept a watchful eye on us. The atmosphere was like nothing I have ever experienced with people on their feet for most of the game chanting, swirling their tops in the air and jumping up and down. Thankfully the local team won which was apparently quite amazing as the other team was much higher up the ladder. I did´t feel unsafe at any stage however can see that it could be and wouldn´t want to do it on my own. It also provided an opportunity to meet some great people staying here at the hostel and one down the road.

I tried to go out to a club in Lapa last night with 3 couples staying in the hostel but after 4 caprihinias and a shot at the hostel bar, an hour waiting around for our crew to gather and another hour in a long queue outside the club, I decided to return to the hostel for some much needed sleep. The club was about 20 minutes in a cab from the hostel so I was crossing my fingers that I was heading in the right direction most of the way home (but at the same time didn´t feel unsafe). I now realise the guy who flaggd down the taxi had handpicked the driver... waving a few past. I get the impression that people are looking out for tourists. You also know to carry nothing around (such as a backpack or camera).

Tonight I am planning to go to a funk party also in this type of area. Apparently they pay the drug lords to keep us safe and it is where the movie Sun of the Gods was filmed.

Til tomorrow,
Emm xxx

2006-08-19T11:40:00.000-07:00

Day 71 & 72 (Fri 18 & Sat 19 Aug 2006): Buenos Aires to Ipanema, Rio, Brazil

In case you´re wondering, I arrived safely in Rio at 7am this morning (Sat 19 Aug) after a bugger of a flight from BA with Lan Airlins. I flew from BA to Santiago at 9.45pm, arriving 11pm (after 1 hour and 45 minutes in the air). I then stopped in Santiago for 1.5 hours before boarding a connecting flight through to Rio which departed at 1am and had a stopover in San Paulo around 6am. The flight from San Paulo to Rio was just 30 minutes.

Turns out the flight from Santiago to Rio was full of travellers (including a couple of people with Aussie accents) and continuing with my beginners luck, this guy just started chatting to me as we boarded the plane. Turns out he has been to Rio several times before on holidays and was returning for a conference. He´s a qualified doctor working in public health in NZ... Sri Lankan background. Anyway, when we landed he offered for me to share his cab because he was staying further along the beach at the Hotel Intercontinental. So rather than take the bus and have to walk to find my hostel from the drop off point, I ended up sharing his cab for free... and lucky I did because I wrote down the address of the hostel from the Lonely Planet rather than referencing my notebook and it turns out the LP is wrong. The hostel moved 2 years ago and the LP has´t updated it despite multiple requests. Luckily my new friend wanted around while I checked the address and realised it was out by several streets (and actually only 1 block from the beach).

I checked in and spent the next 2 hours taking a nap in my 6 bed door sharing with 3 guys and 1 girl.

From Santiago to Rio I was also sitting next to Sara, a 30 year old single Peruvian living in Lima and working as an accountant. She was just delightful and has even invited me to stay at her home (with her parents and sister) when I visit in October. She explained that her parents are both teachers from a town with a name that translates to `friendship`. Her brother paid for her university studies and now she pays for her 19 year old sister to study engineering. She has 3 weeks off (forced annual leave) and her brother has paid for her to visit him in Rio where he now works and lives. Í look forward to spending more time with Sara when Mandy and I have our 3 days in Lima. It will be great to have a local to catch up with (even if it´s only for dinner).

This morning I walked the promenade of Ipanama beach and took in the eclectic scenery. It´s cool to be in a place where there´s so much going on you don´t know where to look. There are small bars every 100 or so metres selling coconuts for their juice including one dedicated to mothers and babies with a children´s playground in the sand. There´s also a cycling path next to the promanade walk where people were running or cycling in their droves. Basically, the locals are fitness junkies (as per Bondi). I noticed they are even dressed in lycra tights and runners in the shopping street.

The actual beach reminds me of Bondi with it´s white sand and surf (and waves breaking on the shore so people were struggling to catch anything). With the main difference being the tall buildings adjacent to th beach and of course the spectacular mountains in the background. It´s a sight that must be seen to be believed

I spent the rest of the day wandering along the main Ipanema shopping street, stopping for a cafe com creme at a bookstore cafe and later lunch at a restaurant (Guru Guru) I found in a tourist guide I was skim reading in the bookstore. Continuing with the food theme, I had an awesome mixed salad for lunch... with a beer. I think they enjoyed hosting the girl who spoke no Portugese!

I am heading off to watch a football game now... organised by the hostel. Apparently it is far too dangerous to go without a guard. Will write about this tomorrow.

Bye for now,
Emm xxx

2006-08-17T15:23:00.000-07:00

Day 70 (Thurs 17 Aug 2006): Buenos Aires

The professional dog walker (in case you couldn´t get a visual from my description)

Well this arvo my tour guide, Sebastian, continued his Argentine hospitality with a visit to the barrios of La Boca and San Telmo for some Tango culture.

Described as "vivid" and "working-class", La Boca is situated along the old port and at the mouth (boca) of the Rio Riachuelo. It was built by Italian immigrants who apparently took over a part of town that had been closed down during the war and painted it bright colours to create a more vibrant feel. It´s main attraction (possibly only attraction) is colourful Caminito, a short pedestrian walk lined with corrugated-metal buildings.

The central landmark in La Baca and much published postcard pic

The walk is lined with small stalls where local artists sell their brighly coloured paintings. We followed the advice of the guide book and found a cantina (snack bar) where we paid incredible prices for our lunch ($65 pesos all up which is what we paid for our 2 course dinner with wine the night before...).

As an example of the extortion, the empanadas were 4 pesos as opposed to the standard 1.50 in most restaurants around the city. He commented to the waiter that they were charging more than his restuarant in Puerto Madero and he just shrugged it off.

While he couldn´t reduce the price, I was grateful for Sebastian´s unrelenting confidence as he pursuaded the kitchen to make up a special order of empanadas without meat. I was able to elect my fillings of tuna and cheese with onion and satisfy my craving for these delicious little dumplings.

Sebastian also encouraged me to try the pancakes with caramel sauce (dolce de leche)... as it´s a specialty of Argentina. Any excuse! He was surprised when I explained that it reminded me of my mum´s banana, caramel and coconut tarts from my childhood and described how she used to boil a tin of condensed milk. The pancake cost $20 pesos (when they´re normally $5 and twice the size).

The highlight of the dining experience was the restaurant´s colourful decor and crazy staff... as well as their old man tango singer out front.

From there we caught a taxi to San Telmo, just 6 blocks south of Plaza de Mayo (the centre of BA). With it´s cobble stone streets, antique shops and Tango venues (aparently it´s renowned for them but I think we only counted 2 so not exactly sure where they are)... I think this place must come alive on the weekends because there certainly wasn´t much going on while we were there. The plaza (pictured below) was empty with the exception of a few hippy types with their wares layed out on blankets on the footpaths around the perimeter and the surrounding streets were the same with the exception of the odd tour group.

We opted to walked the 6 blocks back to the city and settled for a milkshake at a local cafe.

Tomorrow Sebastian will meet me again to help me to source some American dollars for Gap in Rio (yes, they insist on a $500 USD cash payment at the commencement of the tour which is fine if you´re travelling from your home country direct to the starting point and a pain in the rear if you´re already travelling and not interested in losing that much cash is you happen to be mugged). I also need to do some washing and it will be much easier if he can explain that I need it back by the end of the day because I fly to Rio via Santiago at 9.45pm.

It´s hard to believe that I am just hours away from itsy bitsy string bikinis!

Adios amigos,
Emm xxx

2006-08-17T07:14:00.000-07:00

Day 70 (Thurs 17 Aug 06): Buenos Aires

Day 3 in BA and I can confidently report that this is one of my favourite cities! With it´s cafe culture and hospitable and friendly people. I feel really comfortable here (although a little cold at times having just left behind the European summer).

And just 72 hours after leaving Brendan´s side, I have picked up my first local "companion" (well actually, it was more the other way round ie. he picked me up... so I will explain).

After dining alone at an Asian vegetarian cafe (Lotus) where the cashier proudly anounced a "thankyou" to my "gracias", I decided to take a look at the shopping mall and headed off in that direction. Along the way I caught site of a professional dog walker tangled in the leashes at the centre of 2o or so dogs (a site that is well recorded in my Travel Guide and now on my camera after I dodged traffic to get a good view much to the amusement of 3 men chatting on the side of the street). I was also fortunate to catch a glimpse of old man and his middle aged "once was" partner (complete with flesh coloured body suit and a bright red j-string beneath her short black satin mini skirt barely covering her but cheeks) dancing to tango to a large crowd gathered near the start of the mall.

Hardly able to keep the smile off my face and crystalising my thoughts for how this city is impacting me, I continued along the mall taking it all in when Sebastian (a 23 year old waiter and travel company employee) poked his cigarette in front of me notioning for a light while chattering away at me in Spanish. When I shrugged and said "Sorry but I don´t smoke, those things will kill you"... he took the opening to start a conversation with me in English.

Initially... with my thoughts shifting to those pages of the Lonely Planet titled "Dangers & Annoyances"... I could think of nothing other than the various pickpocket scams people use to rob you in public areas... desparately trying to remember whether it was in the BA section that mentioned the one about asking for a light was (which I now recall relates to the beaches of Rio where they ask you for a light and while you´re rustling around for it their mate snaches your bag).

So in those early stages of our aquaintance, I maintained a polite but not overly friendly conversation asking the odd question here or there to try and ascertain whether he was genuine.

I realise I probably sound paranoid, but grab yourself a copy of the South American Lonely Planet and I think you will appareciate why!

We walked together until the mall came to an end and at this point, Sebastian told me he had an hour to kill before meeting his friend and invited me for a drink. Not wanting to miss an opportunity for some local company (and figuring there wasn´t much he could do to me in such a public place), I suggested a coffee at the cafe we were standing in front of.

And so began my afternoon of intensive Spanish lessons with Sebastian insisting it was an exchange... Spanish for English... but in truth, I was gaining far more from it than he was. His English is actually really good and there were only a few times where he was unable to get his message across. If only he wasn´t so intense!!! He went hell for leather trying to teach me Spanish... explaining sentenence structure, the differences between European Spanish and Latin American Spanish... and so on. In fact, it turns out he had taught English for money for 2 months not long ago and he is "dating" a United Airlines flight attendant (New Yorker living in Washington DC who has a regular flight to BA each month and stays in the Hilton Hotel which backs onto Sebastians restaurant... hence how they met).

About an hour in his 2 friends joined us (names escape me but I am meeting up with them today so should be able to update you later)... one a 26 yo psych student who wants to get into HR (and whose English was slightly stronger than Sebastians).... and the other, a 21 yo who spoke very little English but what he did had to say was really funny. They all met at the restaurant they work at... which is located at the Port (an area which reminds me of Darling Harbour or Melbourne´s Southbank but much less subdued... in the winter anyway).

They suggested I meet them for a drink and some dancing at 1am when the 26 & 21 yos finished their shifts at the restaurant they all work at and I suggested that I could meet them there a little earlier for dinner instead. When the 26 & 21yos departed to study and work... Sebastian suggested we continue to hang out but I opted to return to the hostel for a shower (and a break from the intensity of the situation) and agreed to meet him at 9pm back at the cafe. He paid for my coffee insisting it was at his invitation and then joined me for the train journey (using his pass to get me into the station when we saw the long queue for tickets).

We met up again at 9pm and he took me to the restaurant which turned out to be quite fancy (and targeted to tourists... of the adjacent Hilton Hotel I am sure). He wanted to continue the lessons over dinner so I had to explain that my brain was exhausted from the strain of his earlier lessons.

By 10.30pm I was yawning constantly and dropping hints of needing to sleep but Sebastian insisted on 1 drink at a bar nearby and I obliged. It was here he put his hand on mine and I pulled it away so quickly the poor guy didn't know what to do. He then went on to apologise and explain that touching was part of their culture and so I took the opportunity to clarify that touching a new friend like that certainly wasn't part of mine. It was all very friendly but I think he got the message. I guess I knew it was only a matter of time and I am grateful I wasn't peeling his lips off my mouth.

I feel better now that he knows where he stands.

So today he we will meet up again and he will take me to the barrios (suburbs) of La Boca and San Telmo, the 2 historical touristy areas that I was planning to visit anyway. They are also listed as being a little dodgy (read as "stick to the main tourist strip like glue). From what I have read, this is where the tango clubs are.

I spent the morning practicing what I learnt yesterday over my cafe con leche and medialunas (this time 2 dolce and 1 salada). After ordering today, the lady at the cafe gestured for me to come and look at her pastries and offered me one with custard in side as an alternative to the second dolce. I was so flattered and was pleased for the opportunity to try something new!

I´m looking forward to the adventures (and Spanish lessons) that lay ahead of me today.

Adios,
Emm xxxx

2006-08-16T09:29:00.000-07:00

Day 69 (Wed 16 Aug 06): Buenos Aires

Firsty, let me tell you what I got up to yesterday afternoon.

After leaving the internet cafe I headed off to find a local vegetarian cafe listed in the Lonely Planet. It´s in my suburb (barrio) of Recoleta so wasn´t far nor difficult to find with the grid like street plan all named after countries or cities within South America.

The interesting thing about being here is that no-one is speaking to me in English and to be completely honest, this is what is making it so much fun! I am quite impressed with how easy it is to communicate with the odd spanish word blended in with english and sign language. I end up making assumptions about what they´re saying to me based on the situation I´m in (ie. if they hover around after giving me something I know they want me to pay for it then and there).

So when I arrived at the veggie cafe around 2pm, I did what I always do and stood back for a moment to try and work out their system. And to be honest, it´s only now, after fumbling through it, that I can report that this one involved taking a number, waiting for it to be called, selecting what you wanted from the food displayed, selecting a drink, taking a ticket over to the lady opposite sitting at the register, paying and taking a seat so they can serve you with what you ordered. I think you´ll agree that this was quite complex and over-engineered, but who am I to comment? I was the odd one out. Everyone else knew exactly what was going on. I did smile when she directed me to sit next to a good looking young man and made some comment to him in spanish (probably apologising for having to put the tourist next to him).

I enjoyed my soy vegetable slice with salad and hommus and juice.

From the cafe I walked to Ave Santa Fe, a main shopping street, and then through what appeared to be a business or banking district to the Cemetry. I didn´t understand why the guide book says that this cemetry is possibly the main tourist attraction in BA but now I certainly do. The Recoleta Cemetry has to be seen to be believed. If I was ready to die, I would want to do it here please!

From the cemetry I returned to the hostel to rest before heading out for dinner.

I know it´s rediculous, but dining out is such a rewarding part of my trip. I think it´s the time when I learn the most about the language and culture.

Last night I decided upon a large cafe on my street because it was one of the few (apart from McDonalds and Hungry Jacks) that had pictures in the window and prices displayed which basically meant I could resort to pointing if all else failed. When the waitress approached me I asked for the menu which was followed by her asking me a question in spanish... as it always does. When I shrugged, she tried again and then left me alone. It´s funny how people give up so easily. I was happy. I got out my phrase book, turned to the food section and scoured the menu until I had translated enough to work out what I wanted.

I decided upon empanadas (translated in the guide book as fried or baked turnovers with a variety of fillings). I selected 2 varieties - con verduras (with vegetables) and con queso e cebolla (cheese & onion). When I ordered, I asked for "dos" (2 of each) with an ensalada vegetariano (vegetable salad). Easy! I also gleamed as I ordered the house red (vino tinto) and an agua con gas (water with gas).

About 2 hours after entering the cafe I left... feeling quite tipsy and ready for bed.

There´s free internet at the hostel so I jumped on for a few minutes to check my emails and a friend young lad from Cambodia started chatting. He´s just moved here to study cartooning and started uni 2 days ago. We had a good chat before he disappeared to get some rest.

Today I had a really lovely time at a cafe virtually across the road from the hostel. It´s a really small one with a board out the front advertising cafe con leche con tres medialunas (which I had read about in the LP... small croissants served sweet or plain). I sat down and once again beamed as I ordered in spanish. Once again, my order was responded to with a question... but this time all of the other 3 customers piped up to translate - "sweet or plain". I opted for sweet (dolce as the lady behind my so kindly offered). I think this was one of my most memorable experiences. And when the lady behind me left she turned to me to say goodbye (ciao of course).

The medialunas were really tasty... but think I will find out the word for "plain" and give that a go tomorrow. Not used to eating sweet pastry... just not my thing.

I´m now off for lunch.

Also trying to get in contact with Esteban, Brendan´s host brother from his AFS exchange some 15 years ago. I´ve called but they told me he wasn´t around and gave me another number where they have no Estebans sorry.

Adios,
Emm xxx

2006-08-15T06:21:00.000-07:00

Day 68 (Tuesday 15 August 2006): Buenos Aires, Argentina

Hola from Buenos Aires, Argentina!!!!

It´s with sadness and joy that I leave Europe and arrive in South America!

Yesterday (Monday 14 Aug) Brendan and I parted ways after 9.5 weeks travelling together... living in each others pockets and once or twice, driving each other crazy! There are so many things about Brendan that I´ll miss, but most of all, I´ll miss his company and researching skills. He is a great travel companion who was easy and fun to hang out with. He also did an awesome job of selecting our route, booking our accommodation, translating what I wanted into Spanish and determining the "must see" attractions in every city. I expect the withdrawals to kick in anytime soon... I also expect my parents will be very proud that we managed to stick it out together. I now wish I had made a bet with my dad!

Brendan headed back to London (bound for Sydney).

With all the chaos in the UK we weren´t sure he would fly so I stayed with him while we confirmed that his EasyJet Flight to Gatwick was actually flying and thankfully it wasn´t in the 30% of flights still being canned each day. I then transferred to the new Terminal 4 (another train stop and a 10 minute bus trip from Terminals 1 to 3) and spent the next 3 hours wandering the enormous shopping area after checking in my bags for my Iberian flight. Interestingly, I wasn´t subjected to any additional security requirements.

The long wait was well worth it when I was upgraded to business class at the gate. The 12 hour day time flight I was dreading turned into nothing more unbearable than a long day on the couch watching DVDs (4.6 infact). To my delight I finally got to see Brokeback Mountain. I also downed 4 wines and a Baileys over lunch and very much enjoyed my 3 course meal including mango and berry gelato. Shame about the headache that followed.

The other movies included Take The Lead (with Antonio Banderas & Rob Brown; about a former professional dancer who volunteers to teach dance in the New York public school system), Stay (with Ewan McGregor & Ryan Gosling; about the attempts of a psychiatrist to prevent one of his patients from committing suicide, while trying to maintain his own grip on reality) and Freedomland (with Samuel L. Jackson & Julianne Moore; about a black police detective who must solve a strange case of a kidnapped boy and deal with a big racial protest).

I started watching Syriana (George Clooney, Matt Damon) which is about the oil industry but only got about 40 minutes in before having to give up the headset.

My German neighbour (a guy about my age travelling for work) somehow managed to get my special "vegetarian" meal from Economy for his entree after some serious lanaguage barrier confusion over which one of us actually ordered the special meal. I had told them it was me but he also said "si" at the wrong time and given I was not paying for my seat (and was looking forward to the business class tuna salad entree with gaspacho), I let it go. In hindsight, I actually think they thought he was my husband. I managed to sort it out at the next meal which did have meat and we both had a laugh about it.

My arrival was nothing short of straight forward... although I did have to wait 1.5 hours for my backpack (which is now 5kgs lighter thanks to Brendan and much much easier to manage). There´s a bus service from the airport and after paying $27 pesos (1 AUD = 2.27 pesos) and waiting 45 minutes, it took me to my hostel via a central station where I changed to a mini-van. Talk about super efficient. I got chatting to a really friendly French couple... on a 2 week holiday who went on to explain how people in France don´t like to travel and rarely leave the country. They also said that it would be extremely rate for someone to resign from their job for any length of time to go travelling. He worked for Airbus in Toulouse and she for a pharmacuticals company.

I am staying in a cheap hostel (Milonga) in Recoleta, apparently a swanky suburb. While I have a twin room to myself for $15 AUD, it has that musty smell to it, a small single bed and the door is really difficult to lock (and not very secure when it does). And the shared bathrooms... well they´re not so good either. All this aside, I had a pretty good sleep and after showering feel refreshed again.

It´s windy and cold out so after walking around the block at 9am this morning, I came here to the warmth of the internet cafe. Shortly I will leave to explore.

Looking forward to sharing my new adventures now that I´m solo and in a new land.

Ciao for now,
Emm xxx